Supreme Court Decision On Home Health Care Workers 'Makes No Sense,' Editorial States

Main Category: Litigation / Medical Malpractice
Also Included In: Caregivers / Homecare;  Public Health
Article Date: 20 Jun 2007 - 14:00 PDT

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The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that federal minimum wage and overtime laws do not apply to home care workers "makes no sense for a nation of aging baby boomers," a Philadelphia Inquirer editorial states. "For the workers themselves, this is a survival issue," but "there's a wider constituency for getting home care workers the pay they deserve and, in turn, being able to attract qualified staff to these jobs" -- the increased number of elderly U.S. residents who seek their care, according to the editorial. The editorial states, "Without adequate home services, these elderly face lives in costly institutional settings."

Federal labor laws "need to be broadened to cover home workers," a move that could require congressional action or revision of Department of Labor regulations, the editorial states. "The justices' decision was unanimous," the editorial states, adding, "But would it have been so had the legal case posed this question: Should the court make it harder for Americans to live out their lives in the dignity of their own homes?" (Philadelphia Inquirer, 6/18).

"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.

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