Since April, tens of thousands of home care workers in New York have been automatically enrolled in a health insurance plan that fails to cover basic medical care—prompting widespread frustration and mounting criticism.
That’s according to an article posted Aug. 27 by New York Focus. The nonprofit news site’s Sam Mellins reported that when Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) took over New York’s state-funded home care program for the elderly and disabled in April, it automatically enrolled its new hires in a low-cost, minimal‑coverage health plan.
This stipend‑style insurance, funded by mandatory deductions from workers’ paychecks, “doesn’t cover many essential services, like hospital stays or specialist doctors.”
Many home care workers already have robust coverage through other jobs or public programs like Medicaid, rendering the new plan redundant at best—and potentially jeopardizing their existing insurance at worst.
One caregiver said, “I have a full time job and I’ll be getting insurance through that.… It would just be better to have those dollars put into our salary.”
After sustained criticism, PPL’s vice president of government relations, Patty Byrnes, indicated that the company “is seeking to offer a new and improved health insurance plan around the end of the year.”
This was disclosed during a hearing in New York City, when state Senator Chris Ryan asked whether the current plan was “adequate,” per New York Focus. Byrnes acknowledged its shortcomings, stating, “It is what we were able to provide. We are in the process of talking to brokers about what we can do to provide better services.”
Ilana Berger of New York Caring Majority, an advocacy group, told the news site that “people are pissed. They want the cash and they want to be able to make their own choices.”
For more on this story, please visit the original New York Focus article here.
