This is the second in a series examining how state budget cuts are affecting long-term care across America.
New York lawmakers took no action in Tuesday’s emergency state legislative session on budget cuts proposed by Gov. David Paterson. The cutting of state and matching federal funds could have meant over $300 million in multiyear reductions to home care.
In a meeting with the Majority and Minority Leaders of both legislative houses, Gov. Paterson said he will call lawmakers back for another special session to tackle the deficit following the release of his 2009-10 Executive Budget proposal on Dec. 16.
Home and community-based programs are still in jeopardy. The New York State budget deficits will seriously affect the wages, benefits, and training of New York’s direct-care workforce.
According to PHI New York Policy Director Carol Rodat, New York’s elder population is projected to reach nearly 4 million by 2030, triggering a huge demand for direct-care workers. Over the next 10 years, she estimates that New York will need to recruit and train another 85,000 long-term care aides. This will be tough in an environment that further restricts resources needed to improve the quality of direct-care jobs.
Workforce recruitment and retention could suffer, halting significant progress in culture change in nursing homes and wage and benefit improvements in home care, said Rodat.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics identifies the median hourly wage of home care workers in New York State as $9.78 and yet, adjusted for inflation, the real wages of these workers over the past seven years have increased a mere 19 cents/hour.
Home care workers are particularly vulnerable to Medicaid budget cuts as they often serve as their family’s sole source of income, despite earning extremely low wages, she said.
“While no one can argue with the need for New York to confront its fiscal realities,” said Rodat, “policymakers need to make sure that the cuts do not fall unduly on the most vulnerable and necessary workers at a time when the growing number of aging and disabled need this workforce.”
I am deeply saddened that our country has come to a place where those that need us the most will be let down and left to die by the way side. Yes, people will suffer in their homes laying in urine and feces for days and perhaps weeks on end before anyone can get to them and by the time that happens they will be dead. I guess the next step will be to line them up and shoot them down, but before that they will all be given shovels to dig their own mass grave. Home care providers that do the hands on job really work their asses off and have little to nothing to show for it once all the taxes are taken out of their pathetically small checks. My sister is in home care and she gives 200% of herself to all she cares for and she cries because she can’t do more. I’m so tired of bail outs for the rich and all their crying because they lost a little play money. I don’t see any of them suffering, people I know who cried about losing money are taking trips right and left living the big life. Honestly, I hate money and those who decide who get it. I’m finding myself to be bitter and tired of all the political bullshit.