AUGUSTA, Maine — Senate Democratic Leader Troy Jackson introduced a bill April 26 that would use state and federal Medicaid dollars to fund a 10 percent increase in wages and benefits across the long-term care workforce.
Maine’s direct care workforce comprises more than 26,000 men and women working as certified nurse aides, personal support specialists and home health aides in nursing homes, assisted living facilities and in the home. According to the General Accounting Office, direct care workers in Maine are paid 15-20 percent less than their counterparts in neighboring states. In Maine, more than 53 percent of direct-care worker households receive some form of public assistance.
Jackson’s bill, LD 1466, provides raises by increasing the Medicaid reimbursement for long-term care facilities, with the increased funding designated for salaries and benefits.
“These hardworking men and women shouldn’t have to worry about how they’re going to take care of their families while they’re at work, trying to take care of ours,” said Jackson. “The care provided by these professionals is priceless. My parents are still completely independent, but if they needed the services offered by direct care workers, there isn’t a price I wouldn’t pay to ensure they got the very best care available. I know all my colleagues in the Legislature feel the same way, so I hope they’ll join me in giving them a raise.”
Low wages relate to another problem in the industry: a severe workforce shortage, which threatens the likelihood that Maine seniors will get the care they need. According to the Maine Council on Aging, 36 percent of nursing homes have refused new admissions due to a lack of staffing, and roughly 600 CNA positions in nursing homes remain unfilled.
“Over the last two years, we have had difficulties filling vacant positions. These are most predominantly in nursing, but also in dietary and housekeeping. We are finding that with the unemployment rate of 3 percent, there are not enough available workers. We have a supply problem. Also, we used to just compete with other like providers for workforce members and now find ourselves competing with acute care, home health, and other industries such as hospitality and retail,” said Deb Fournier, RN, chief operations officer at Maine Veterans’ Homes.
In-home senior service providers are also having a hard time meeting the demand.
“The Independent Support Services Program, also known as the State Homemaker Program, assists individuals who otherwise could not live independently with housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, grocery shopping, and transportation for errands and appointments,” said Don Harden, director of services for older adults at Catholic Charities Maine.
“Consumers usually receive 8-10 hours of service per month at an average cost of $120. Due to staff shortages, the program currently has around 140 unstaffed consumers a month who receive no homemaker service. If these people can’t get services, they could end up unnecessarily accessing more expensive care or putting a greater burden on family members.”
LD 1466 also creates a commission to study the long-term direct-care workforce shortage in the state, to develop strategies to address supply and demand issues and to boost recruitment and retention.
A public hearing on LD 1466 was scheduled May 1 before the Legislature’s Health and Human Services Committee.
