Health aide shortage too complicated for one fix to work | Letters
4 min readRelating to “In-property caregivers heading toward disaster — generally for women,” a new op-ed by Linda Siessel of Bayada Household Health and fitness Treatment:
I applaud Siessel’s description of this countrywide difficulty, which is spot-on, but disagree with her primary route to redress. Greater lives and residing wages for property wellness aides will not take place only by approaching condition and countrywide lawmakers for higher Medicaid reimbursement to caregiver agencies.
Now retired, I have labored in numerous nursing roles in household health and fitness care due to the fact prior to Title 18 of the Social Safety Act. This 1966 regulation recognized Medicare, reimbursement for dwelling overall health agencies, and explained the position, features and technique of reimbursement. This regulation was shortly adopted by Title 19, which legislated Medicaid, a plan co-funded by the states.
Sorry, Ms. Siessel, but residence wellbeing aides as individuals are largely in the identical disadvantaged posture as they were being in 1966. Other than in particularly unusual circumstances, they nonetheless function for down below-poverty wages, obtain no greater rate for extra time, and absence paid sick/getaway time, health insurance and retirement positive aspects.
The route to these rewards, which a vast majority of American staff appreciate, is not by the legislatures. Our pleas have been falling on their deaf ears for 63 many years, and hearing rarely improves with age.
The options eventually lie in legislated nationwide and point out price-setting up regulations, and an quick route for collective bargaining for property overall health aides. 1st, you have to get the legislatures’ awareness.
Lois Young, West Caldwell
Flexibility incompatible with freeze-outs
The syndicated Leonard Pitts Jr. column that appeared in the Star-Ledger print edition on March 27 was right to take note, as its headline indicated, that the correct to free speech does not give the speaker the ideal to independence from penalties.
Despise speech or vile speech generally is refuted by the general public at huge. The problem right now is a distinct reaction to this form of speech than in the previous. Today, anything considered vile or refutable is condemned by schools, by media “cancelation” or use of physical force. Parents, and other individuals who presume parental roles, seem to be to want to reduce off youthful folks from listening to everything the dad and mom disagree with.
Pitts and other folks who seem to be to believe there’s nothing at all mistaken with shaming or shunning a speaker for a particular viewpoint really should themselves be diminished by any adult who believes they are smart more than enough to distinguish amongst truth and view and can pick by by themselves what they prefer to pay attention to.
Pitts and many others should really sense no cost to argue any assumed on its merits. Even so, seeking to reduce other individuals from expressing feelings in the first position is not a fantastic argument in opposition to individuals views. On the contrary, undertaking so is an admission of not acquiring a sturdy counterargument.
Richard W. Ferris, New Providence
Foul shot on NYC vaccination regulations
I uncover it interesting to hear about New York Town Mayor Eric Adams’ new “Let them consume cake” double standard for entertainers and sports activities figures vs. people for civil services and other metropolis staff members.
Adams has lifted a COVID-19 vaccination mandate for these famous people, which right until now, has saved unvaccinated specialist sporting activities stars from participating in in metropolis venues. The most noticeable illustration is the Brooklyn Nets’ basketball participant Kyrie Irving, who experienced been not able to perform in house games at Barclays Middle.
The community-sector personnel were there through COVID-19, no issue what — right up until some of them have been permit go if they refused to get the photographs. But now, Adams grants exemptions to the revenue-makers these as Irving who now can execute in the city without the pictures.
I see wherever the loyalty of Adams — a previous New York Police Section officer and captain — lies. By the way, my spouse and I are entirely vaccinated and boosted.
Jim Kerner, Bergenfield
Say wherever the fentanyl is coming from
“The root induce.” It’s a phrase that you study about and listen to all of the time now. Democrats hold chatting about acquiring to the root result in of our challenges. I have read Vice President Kamala Harris communicate these phrases a great number of instances.
I examine a quite appealing post earlier this month in the Star-Ledger, “The modifying encounter of opioid addiction: Overdoses among Blacks in New Jersey have skyrocketed.”
The artificial opioid fentanyl would seem to be the drug that is at “the root cause” the rise in overdose deaths. Very well, it is been described that a report sum of fentanyl is remaining seized by the Border Patrol at the border with Mexico.
Why, I speculate, is this point not described frequently? It was not cited in the Star-Ledger posting. If only there have been real journalists out there to report about “the root result in.”
Don Montefusco, Maplewood
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