I am outraged that Gov. Josh Shapiro and the legislature once again passed a state budget that ignores 94 percent of Pennsylvania\u2019s direct care workforce. Only a small portion of home care workers, those in the participant-directed program, received funding. <\/p>\n
The rest\u2014the caregivers employed by home care agencies serving older adults and people with disabilities across this state\u2014were left behind. <\/p>\n
These are the most compassionate people in our workforce. They spend their days caring for others, yet many cannot afford to care for themselves. Because the state refuses to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates, agencies cannot pay fair wages. <\/p>\n
Caregivers are being forced to turn to food banks, rely on public assistance, or leave the profession entirely just to survive. <\/p>\n
Every neighboring state has done what Pennsylvania refuses to do. West Virginia, New Jersey, Maryland, and New York have all increased home care funding to strengthen their workforce and protect access to care. Pennsylvania\u2019s inaction has made us the outlier and has deepened an already severe care crisis. <\/p>\n
When we fail to support this workforce, we fail every person who depends on them. Lawmakers must act now to fund the frontlines and ensure that every caregiver in Pennsylvania is treated with dignity and paid a wage they can live on. <\/p>\n
Becky Jacobs, Senior Director of Workforce Development, Pennsylvania Homecare Association <\/p>\n
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