Scranton Times Op-Ed

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

May 13, 2025  

PA Homecare Assn CEO op-ed on the caregiver ‘heroes’ who allow her 100-year-old grandfather to live at home in The Scranton Times

“If we want to keep our loved ones at home, where they want to be, and if we want to support the caregivers who make that possible, we have to put our money where our values are”

400,000 Pennsylvanians rely on in-home care, but more than 112,500 home care shifts go unfilled every month primarily due to staff shortages

Today, Mia Haney, CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA), published an op-ed in The Scranton Times describing Pennsylvania’s in-home care crisis and her own family’s experience seeking in-home care for her grandfather in Scranton who recently turned 100.

“My grandfather is one of the lucky ones, too. He has financial resources, a support system and access to a rare team of top-tier caregivers. Most Pennsylvanians are not so fortunate,” Haney writes. “In fact, many Pennsylvanians who need in-home care can’t get it consistently, leaving them at home — often alone – without the essential help they need. Every single month, 112,500 in-home caregiver shifts are missed in Pennsylvania because of staffing shortages.  For my grandfather, one missed shift has very serious implications — whether you get to live the rest of your days in your own home where you’ve spent 75+ years of your life… or if that choice gets taken away from you.”

The Pennsylvania Homecare Association (PHA) is urging lawmakers to pass a 10% increase in reimbursement rates for personal assistance services, requiring a $370 million investment in this year’s state budget to support direct care workers. PHA is also requesting an increase in reimbursement rates for pediatric and adult shift nurses from $50/hour to $59/hour.   

Recognizing the challenging budget environment facing lawmakers, PHA’s request is not even half of what was recommended by the Shapiro Administration’s independent study of reimbursement rates for home- and community-based service (HCBS), including Personal Assistance Services (PAS).   The study specifically calls for a 23% increase for Personal Assistance Services within the Office of Long-Term Living to support direct care worker wages and cost of care oversight and delivery.  That 23% increase would require investments of more than $800 million in the state budget. 

An additional study conducted by the Menges Group shows that an investment in nursing services of $9/hour would increase the number of children able to receive care at home, discharging them from costly facility-based care and effectively covering the cost of the investment in nursing services.  Home Care Works – it is the economic and compassionate choice.   

More information on Pennsylvania’s home care crisis:  

More than 400,000 seniors and medically fragile Pennsylvanians rely on in-home care, but caregivers and nurses are rapidly departing the industry to work in surrounding states or alternate settings that pay more competitive wages. As a result, more than 112,500 home care shifts go unfilled every month in Pennsylvania. For children, 27% of total authorized hours are missed, largely due to the lack of staff.  

The reason for this crisis is simple: Pennsylvania’s Medicaid reimbursement rates have failed to keep pace with inflation and the changing competitive landscape. Pennsylvania’s Medicaid reimbursement rate for Personal Assistance Services is only $20.63 per hour, while every bordering state pays 25-75% more. For example, West Virginia provides $25.44 per hour.  

About the Pennsylvania Homecare Association  

The Pennsylvania Homecare Association is a statewide membership organization of more than 700 homecare, home health, and hospice providers. PHA members provide quality care and serve as advocates for their patients and clients on a variety of healthcare-related issues. PHA and its members work to improve professional standards and ensure access to quality home care throughout the Commonwealth. For more information about PHA and its initiatives, visit http://www.pahomecare.org. For media inquiries, please contact [email protected].      

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