VI. Conclusion

The confluence of an aging America together with increased demand for supportive home services is creating a perfect storm that can only be met with long-term significant investments. The American Rescue Plan helped to lay the groundwork for lasting improvements to home care worker compensation across the country. However, significant work remains. Transformative change is necessary to make wages and benefits match the value that home care workers provide for society.

Recommendations Recap

1. States should consider setting higher base wages to help investments reach workers faster and ensure workers see increased wages. Not only would this improve the stability of the workforce, but it would also improve the quality of care.
2. Congress should provide multi-year funding streams, rather than one-time investments, to reduce state legislative and federal administrative hurdles that slow implementation and would enable states to provide a higher wage to workers.
3. State Medicaid agencies should ensure that family caregivers in every state are eligible to be reimbursement for caring for people in their own household. This would enhance economic stability of families, and increase access to care.

“They need [to] look after the [home] health care sector. We need help and we need it now. Or else, soon there'll be no caregivers. People won't be able to go to work because then they won't have anybody to stay with family members.” — Jacinth Finch, Miami, Florida