In the United States, Washington State has one of the highest minimum pay. In 2024, it will rise to $16.28 an hour for workers aged 16 and up. It may look like this is good news for low-wage workers, but it has had the opposite effect on the health care sector, which is now struggling with a serious lack of workers and a growing need for services due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A new study from the Washington Health Care Association (WHCA) says that many health care providers have had to lay off workers, cut hours, or close facilities because of rising labor costs and the inability to find and keep qualified workers.
What It Means for Health Care Workers
The WHCA study looked at 120 health care facilities from all over the state. These included hospices, nursing homes, assisted living communities, and home health agencies. The study found that because of the higher minimum wage, 76% of the facilities had cut staff, 58% had cut hours, and 12% had closed or planned to close in 2024.
The study also said that the higher minimum wage would cause 12,000 health care jobs to disappear in 2024. These jobs would mostly go to direct care workers like certified nursing assistants, home health aides, and personal care aides. These workers are very important for making sure that the elderly, disabled, and chronically sick get good care and support. These groups are especially at risk for COVID-19 and its complications.
The report also talked about how hard it is to find and keep health care workers in the state, especially in rural places where living costs are lower and the minimum wage is higher than the going rate. The study found that in 2024, 82% of the facilities had trouble filling open positions, 74% had more staff turnover, and 68% had more temporary or agency workers. The report said that these issues were caused by the fact that health care workers don’t get enough money, benefits, or job options, and they also face more stress, burnout, and the chance of being exposed to COVID-19.
Effects on the Quality and Access to Health Care
According to the WHCA study, the higher minimum wage has also made it harder for people to get and use health care services in the state. With the minimum wage going up in 2024, the study found that 72% of facilities had lowered the quality of care, 66% had lowered the amount of care, and 54% had lowered the number of people who could get care.
The study also said that the higher minimum wage had made more people need health care because more low-wage workers could get Medicaid and went to get primary and preventive care. There were fewer health care providers, though, because they couldn’t afford to take Medicaid or give services at a loss.
The study said that the higher minimum wage could have bad effects on the health and well-being of people in the state, especially the elderly, disabled, and chronically ill, who depend on health care workers for their daily needs.
According to the study, raising the minimum wage could cause more people in these groups to go to the hospital, get infections, fall, get hurt, or even die. It could also cost the health care system and the state more money and cause more problems.
In Conclusion
The health care industry, which is already having a hard time with the COVID-19 crisis, was hurt by Washington State’s 2024 increase in the minimum wage. The higher minimum wage has caused a lot of people to lose their jobs, health care facilities to close, and hours to be cut. It has also made health care services less available, of lower quality, and less in number.
The higher minimum wage has also made it harder to find health care workers, who are needed to help and care for the state’s most defenseless people. So, the increase in the minimum wage has hurt both the people who work in health care and the people who use it in the state. It may also have long-term effects on the state’s income and health.