Home care
Pennsylvania home care agencies say 112,500 shifts go unfilled each month
A Pennsylvania home care trade group says low Medicaid rates leave about 112,500 shifts unfilled monthly and one in four authorized nursing hours undelivered, as state senators move to study rates and the workforce.
Key facts
- About 112,500 home care shifts go unfilled monthly in Pennsylvania.
- One in four authorized nursing hours is not delivered.
- Pennsylvania's Medicaid home care rate is $20.63 an hour.
What happened
Home care agencies in Pennsylvania say they cannot fill about 112,500 shifts a month, and that one in four authorized home nursing hours never happens, according to the Pennsylvania Homecare Association. CBS News Pittsburgh reported the figures on November 2.
The association says the core problem is pay. It puts the average wage for home care aides in the state at about $13 an hour and says Pennsylvania's Medicaid rate for home care, $20.63 an hour, is lower than in neighboring states. The group's comparison lists rates of $28.96 in Ohio, $26.68 in New Jersey, $25.58 in Maryland, $31.00 in Delaware and $36.31 in New York.
Families told the station that missed shifts leave them scrambling to cover care themselves. State lawmakers are considering Senate Resolution 238, which would direct a study of home care rates and the workforce, giving the legislature data to weigh future funding.
What it means for families
When aide shifts go unfilled, families are often the backup. If a parent depends on home care, it helps to know what happens when an aide cancels, who calls you, and how fast a replacement can come. A written backup plan, with a neighbor, relative or second agency, can keep a missed shift from becoming a crisis.
For example: ask the agency how many of your mother's authorized hours were actually staffed last month.
New York's home care Medicaid rate is the highest on the Pennsylvania group's list, but New York agencies also report hiring gaps, so families here should still ask agencies about staffing and backup coverage.
What to do this week
- Ask your home care agency what happens when an aide cancels.
- Track authorized hours against hours actually staffed.
- Write down a backup plan for missed shifts.
Sources
More from Home care
- Medicaid home care faces budget pressure and worker shortages, report says
- Medicare spending per hospice stay rose 5.9% after private equity purchases, Harvard study finds
- Medicare will pay to train family caregivers, but few families have used it