Home healthcare industry against proposed overtime laws
The homehealth care industry is fighting Fair Labor Standards Acts (FLSA) legislation that could increase minimum wage and regulate overtime pay.
Legislation proposed by the Obama administration would guarantee home healthcare workers overtime and minimum wage. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, home health aids made $21,000 on average last year, which works out to approximately $10 per hour.
"The issue is keeping overnight care affordable for seniors and their families," Home Instead chief executive Roger Baumgart said in an e-mail to msnbc.com. "If agencies are required to pay overtime wages for overnight stays, it will significantly increase the cost of providing care to seniors."
Industry officials believe that adoption of the law would put aids out of work and many senior citizens into nursing homes. It could limit the number of job opportunities and reduce the quality of care, industry officials said, according to USA Today.
If passed, the new measure would overturn an exemption to the FLSA established in 1974. Originally, the exemption was put in place so family and friends could provide care without facing penalties, but the Labor Department has said that healthcare companies have been taking advantage of the exemption to avoid paying aides and nursing assistants higher wages for their employee attendance.
Legislation proposed by the Obama administration would guarantee home healthcare workers overtime and minimum wage. According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, home health aids made $21,000 on average last year, which works out to approximately $10 per hour.
"The issue is keeping overnight care affordable for seniors and their families," Home Instead chief executive Roger Baumgart said in an e-mail to msnbc.com. "If agencies are required to pay overtime wages for overnight stays, it will significantly increase the cost of providing care to seniors."
Industry officials believe that adoption of the law would put aids out of work and many senior citizens into nursing homes. It could limit the number of job opportunities and reduce the quality of care, industry officials said, according to USA Today.
If passed, the new measure would overturn an exemption to the FLSA established in 1974. Originally, the exemption was put in place so family and friends could provide care without facing penalties, but the Labor Department has said that healthcare companies have been taking advantage of the exemption to avoid paying aides and nursing assistants higher wages for their employee attendance.
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