Opinion: Long-term care in the U.S. faces two existential threats: an immigration crackdown and Medicaid cuts
The combined impacts of an immigration crackdown and slashing Medicaid budgets could create an exodus of long-term care workers.
The U.S. is facing two major threats to long-term care, and either could topple our precarious system. These developments should worry Congress and anyone who supports an aging loved one or a family member with disabilities.
The first threat is the ongoing immigration crackdown. Immigrants comprise 28% of the entire long-term care workforce along with one in three home care workers, providing vital frontline care to older adults and people with disabilities. Recent estimates suggest that 15% of immigrant workers at home care agencies are undocumented; however, even lawful permanent residents have been caught up in recent deportation efforts.
