Pennsylvania homecare aides call for increased state funding as wages remain low, workers dwindle

(WHTM) — Roughly 150,000 older or disabled Pennsylvanians can stay in their homes thanks to visiting health care workers funded by Medicaid, but the shifts to care for our loved ones are becoming more unfilled. Those on the front lines say it is already a crisis, and without more state money, this will only get worse.

Kelli Ragland works for Angels on Call, a health care service who helps older citizens inside their homes.

“I can’t be in my own apartment without them,” said Michele Dailey, who was born with Spina Bifida and is paralyzed from the waist down. “They come in in the morning, help me get up, help me take a shower, dress, breakfast, lights, and housekeeping.”

Kelli visits people like Michele twice a day.

“We cook, we clean up, we bathe people,” said Ragland. “I’m a companion. We do whatever they need us to do. I like it, I love what I do.”

But in ever-aging Pennsylvania, there are too many Micheles and too few Kellis.

“We really need to address the crisis now because it’s it is literally getting worse by the day.” said Mia Haney, who runs the Pennsylvania Homecare Association. She says for every 10 homecare workers hired, 8 leave within a year.

“Patients who need access to the service are sitting at home waiting for someone to show up and no one’s coming because there’s simply not enough workers to go around,” said Haney.

The workers are leaving largely, she says, because they aren’t paid enough, as homecare workers are paid an average of less than $20 an hour. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid reimbursement rate is lower than all of its neighbors. The Shapiro Administration trumpeted its proposed $21 million dollar increase in homecare. Haney says it’s not nearly enough.

“You’re not even in the race,” said Haney. “You just walked to the starting line and you haven’t even started this race, so it’s a little unfair to to claim a victory lap when we’re really not even addressing the problem at hand.”

“Taxpayers in Pennsylvania are taxed pretty hard right now,” said State Rep. Russ Diamond (R-Lebanon), who says the causes are worthy and the needs are unlimited, but the funds, however, are not.

“Unfortunately, you can’t give everybody as much funding as they think they need to do everything they want,” said Rep. Diamond.

Ragland could make more money working at Sheetz, but she prioritizes her passion over her paycheck, but knows most would not.

“I’m going to be older one day, you’re going to be older one day, and I will hope that there are some people around that’s going to be able to take care of me, so that’s why I do it,” said Ragland.

“That’s terrible,” said Dailey. “Flipping burgers or working behind the counter as opposed to taking care of a human being? No, that’s wrong.”