An Iowa University law professor conducted a study of home health care workers and found that they have few legal protections. (Medical News Today)
It’s more difficult to regulate employment inside a private home, and home health care workers don’t seem to be a high priority for agencies like the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
Once again, soon-to-be retiring baby boomers will set the tone of the debate. According to the article, home health care is a fast growing industry. As more boomers need such services, home health workers will be in greater demand. Although poorly paid now, I suspect this will change. Those in demand have leverage to negotiate higher wages.
The problem now, according to the study, is that many home health care workers are illegal aliens. The issue isn’t how to protect illegal alien workers (who shouldn’t be working in the U.S. anyway) but how to prevent them from being hired in the first place. It’s harder to take advantage of legal workers.