Member: PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute)
Nearly a half-million direct care workers would be eligible for Medicaid if the remaining 21 states expanded eligibility according to PHI’s report, Too Sick to Care: Direct-Care Workers, Medicaid Expansion, and the Coverage Gap.. Currently about 300,000 direct care workers fall into the Medicaid “coverage gap,” unable to access affordable health care coverage.
This problem disproportionately affects workers living in the South, young people, and people of color. Direct care workers need access to preventive care and timely health care intervention to live healthier lives. Healthy workers are better able to provide high-quality care to the people they serve. Policymakers, advocates, and employers all have a responsibility to address this inequity