County's 'Heartless' Schemes Would Strip Thousands of Health Insurance, Force Them Onto Public Assistance, Says UDW
Posted on: Friday, 6 October 2006, 15:01 CDT
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego County home care providers represented by the United Domestic Workers (UDW) filed an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) with the state Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) against county supervisors this week. The charge was filed because supervisors have proposed "heartless" schemes to weaken affordable health care benefits for home care providers -- despite affordable solutions offered by the UDW.
The county recently turned down a bid by Sharp Healthcare to continue covering home care providers. Though the current plan is scheduled to expire October 31, 2006, the UDW is asking the state to intervene to prevent thousands of providers from losing their health insurance. UDW has offered several solutions to the problem; and the county has rejected all of them.
"Home care workers provide in-home health services for our county's most vulnerable residents, but now the county is telling us we're on our own when it comes to our personal health care needs," said Carmen Camacho, an El Cajon home care provider. "Affordable solutions are available. But the county's heartless health care schemes will only force thousands more onto public assistance plus millions more spent in tax dollars."
San Diego County is home to approximately 19,000 home care providers who tend to the needs of the county's frail, elderly and disabled. Providers earn just $9.00 an hour and health insurance is their only benefit.
Under the current insurance program through Sharp Healthcare, the county contributes $215 per provider per month toward health insurance. Sharp recently bid to renew the insurance program at a slightly higher cost, reflecting nationwide health care cost increases.
But the county declined Sharp's offer as well as several subsequent proposals from the UDW, threatening instead to either force providers into a substandard and low quality "mini-med" health plan or let them fend for themselves by finding their own health care -- options that are neither practical nor affordable. In fact, the county's schemes will likely lead to a swelling of the state's Medi-Cal rolls.
Even more senseless is the fact that, in the end, health insurance for home care providers does not cost the county anything. The federal and state governments reimburse the county the monthly $215 health care contribution and even more money is readily available to protect current benefits.
Yet the county has chosen to leave this money on the table and ignore the health care needs of thousands of hardworking local residents.
"In the end, the county doesn't spend a dime on our health insurance," said Gustavo Gutierrez, a San Diego provider. "How can they even consider forcing thousands of the working poor -- some of whom have illnesses themselves -- to fend for basic health care?"
United Domestic Workers
CONTACT: Blaine Rummel of United Domestic Workers, +1-202-429-5082
Source: PRNewswire
Related Articles
- Thousands of Health Care Providers Enhance Online Profiles
- Health Care Providers Sue State of California Over Cuts in Medi-Cal Payments
- ValueOptions(R) New Mexico Delivers $7.3 Million to Community Behavioral Health Care Providers and Programs
- Coalition of Latino, African American, and Asian Leaders Partner With Health Care Providers to Request State Funds to Tackle Growing HIV Cases in Communities of Color
- HHS Announces $175 Million in Grant Opportunities for States to Assist Health Care Providers in the Gulf Coast Region
- Crowded Clinics: County's Health Care Providers Say They Can't Keep Up With Demand
- Task Force Will Aim to Help Uninsured Leaders Work to Organize Group to Meet County's Health Care Needs
- Clinic on Board for Plan; Manchin Network Proposal Brainchild of Health Care Provider
- Home Health-Care Provider Closes in Knoxville, Tenn.
- Health-Care Providers Downplay Doctor-Fee Report
 |
 |
User Comments (0)
RSS Feeds