​Eighty-nine percent of providers have had to deny home care because of the workforce crisis. On average, small- and mid-sized providers refuse 510 care hours each month, according to a new study released last week by MissionCare Collective, the parent organization of myCNAjobs. The study also notes that a majority of home care agencies have seen problems surrounding recruitment and retention worsen in the past six months.

​This week, the premier conference for the home care industry, HCAOA’s National Home Care Conference, officially opens for registration, sponsorships and exhibits. Yesterday, HCAOA CEO Vicki Hoak sent a video message to HCAOA members with a special message: “You belong with us in Chicago!”

​Last week, the Better Medicare Alliance released we just released the 2022 State of Medicare Advantage report, which compiles the latest research and data to deliver a comprehensive picture of the Medicare Advantage experience today – from beneficiary demographics and enrollment trends to supplemental benefit offerings and consumer savings, to health outcomes and bipartisan support in Washington.

​A new report released last week by PHI found that while 24 states and the District of Columbia supported direct care workers with hazard pay and/or paid sick leave policies during the first 18 months of COVID-19, 26 states did not.

​This report details findings from a recent study by PHI on hazard pay and paid sick leave policies enacted across all 50 states and DC from March 2020 to August 2021 (the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic). The purpose of the study was to document how states responded to the challenges faced by direct care workers and other essential workers during one of the most devastating health crises in recent history—and to generate lessons for the future.

​Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine, alongside experts from the ILR School and Cornell Tech, have developed a multidisciplinary program aimed at elevating the value of home care workers – which includes home health aides, home attendants and nursing assistants – while improving both their working conditions and their patients’ outcomes. In three years, the team has produced more than 20 academic papers that aim to reshape the way policymakers view this critical workforce.