Recently in Home.Health Category

Source: Nicole Wallace, Chronicle of Philanthropy, April 29, 2012

Across the country tens of thousands of nursing assistants, child-care employees, home-health aides, group-home employees, people who work at after-school programs, and others provide vital services at health-care and human-services charities. The work is physically and emotionally taxing, yet because wages are so low, these employees face many of the same financial challenges as the people they serve.

Nonprofit employers say they want to pay frontline workers more but can't because of low government-reimbursement rates and the challenge of raising money from donors to improve wages....Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans employs more than 160 personal-care attendants who provide services that allow people with intellectual disabilities to live on their own. The average wage for those positions is $8.70 an hour.

In 2006, Louisiana increased its Medicaid reimbursement rate to $16 an hour, which allowed the charity to increase wages to their current rate, says Jim LeBlanc, head of Volunteers of America Greater New Orleans. But the state has since lowered the rate to $14.68.

In addition to covering the attendants' wages, the charity uses the reimbursement to pay for workers' compensation and liability insurance, supervisors to oversee the attendants, and other program costs.

Workers do not currently receive health insurance, but Mr. LeBlanc is already anticipating that the charity may have to provide it in 2014 under the new federal health-care law....

Source: Thomas Dimopoulos, Post-Star, February 12, 2012

...The Argyle facility [Pleasant Valley] houses a 122-bed skilled-nursing facility, a 33-bed adult home and a 24-slot adult day health care program. It has accommodated residents since it opened in June 1827 as The Washington County Poor House. The facility is owned and operated by Washington County. The county also owns a separate, public health home care service that includes a certified home health agency and long-term home health care and hospice programs....

...The county put both packages out to bid last April and currently three agencies are vying for one or both of the programs...

Source: Susan Ferriss, Sacramento Bee, January 31, 2011

Three Republicans emerged publicly last week as the unlikely allies of unionized in-home caregivers and recipients who oppose Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to slash subsidized in-home care...."I want to see what other states are doing with IHSS programs," Nestande said Friday in an interview. "I want to find the best way. It may be an agency-based model."

In such a model, private agencies employ caregivers for disabled and frail low-income seniors. The program would still be a government program, Nestande said.

In-home care is a Medicaid benefit paid for with a combination of federal, state, county and out-of-pocket patient dollars. In California, county social workers now authorize hours of care that a recipient requires, and the recipients employ caregivers. The program is managed by counties, with state oversight and wage contributions.
Related:
- Privatization of In Home Supportive Services: Not a realistic way to save state resources or care for the needy
Source: UDW, February 2011
- Tulare County IHSS Demonstration Project: An Evaluation of Managed Care
Source: Carole Barnes, Sandie Sutherland, Jeff Johnson, Institute for Social Research, California State University, August 1995

Source: Alaina Potrikus, The Post-Standard, January 24, 2011

Wampsville, NY -- Madison County officials Monday night began ironing out the details of a deal to privatize home health care services following a week of controversy with union officials who criticized leaders for not giving the union or the public notice that the county was going to vote on the issue. In an "open letter to taxpayers" last week, union officials called the Dec. 28 vote to transfer the operation to Home Care of Rochester Inc. a "holiday hoodwink" and said they were given no notice that the board would be voting on the change. ...The future of the 44-employee county department came under discussion last spring after a state survey found "significant deficiencies in delivery" of nursing care and therapy to more than 200 homebound patients. The agency has been in the red for the past five years, including a $388,835 deficit in 2009. The agency costs about $3 million to operate, according to the 2010 budget....

...On Monday night, the county's public health committee discussed the purchase agreement with Home Care of Rochester. The company will pay Madison County $900,000 for the chance to deliver home care services. Becker said the money will likely go into the county's general fund. In the coming months, the committee will also review management and staffing arrangements with the new provider. The transition from county control will require state approval and is expected to take up to 18 months. The county-run system is fully funded in the 2011 budget, and the agreement with Home Care of Rochester includes offering positions to county employees.

Source: By Becky Pallack, Arizona Daily Star, Published: 12.08.2007

About 500 Pima County caregivers must look for a new employer -- but they'll be doing the same jobs. Pima County is cutting their positions at Pima Health System as it privatizes some home-health support services.

...... The workers likely will be paid more and receive benefits, which weren't part of their contracts with the county. Independent agencies can pay more because "they're very competitive and very much want to retain their workers," Siemsen said. The attendant caregivers were among Pima County employees who voted to join Service Employees International Union Local 5 in April.