New York’s Home Care System is in Crisis

Many New Yorkers depend on the compassionate care provided by home care workers to live with dignity in their own homes. Billions of taxpayer dollars go into paying for home care through Medicare and Medicaid. But our inefficient home care system has become unsustainable. For years, home care agencies have been siphoning away too much money in profits, inflated administrative costs and even fraud, meaning that only a fraction of these vital resources ever make it to the bedside of the client.

Shadowy subcontracting practices in the home care industry not only waste resources, but also make it impossible for clients and their families to know who is really providing their care.

Some agency owners have made millions of dollars in profits, yet home care workers, who spend their lives caring for seniors and people with disabilities, struggle to survive on poverty wages. This leads to high worker turnover, which can compromise the quality of care.

As the demand for home care increases, we must make sure that our home care system doesn’t allow agencies to put profit before care. We need to raise job standards for home care workers so that family members of seniors and people with disabilities can go to work each day knowing that their loved ones are in good hands.

Our State leaders have the power to solve this crisis but their efforts have been thwarted by a home care industry determined to protect its narrow self-interests. Without true reform to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent efficiently and transparently, it is likely that escalating deficits will force drastic cuts, leaving seniors and people with disabilities without the care they need.

The time is now. Join us in calling for accountability and quality care.