Expanding Health Care Coverage

By

Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute

Funding Area

Expanding Health Care Coverage

Date

April 1, 2009

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This NYHealth-funded survey conducted by PHI (formerly the Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute) finds that only 25% of home care workers employed by Upstate agencies have employer-sponsored health insurance.

Even when agencies do offer coverage to their workers, they see low enrollment as a result of eligibility rules that require employees to work an average of 26 hours a week and to share the cost of unaffordable monthly premiums. The survey is the first analysis of health insurance coverage among home care workers in Upstate New York. Coverage rates for home care workers in New York City are generally higher with coverage provided through the Family Health Plus Buy-In.