“I love my job because I enjoy helping people,” said Foley, who works at Vinfen’s Bayview Inn program in Quincy.”
Foley noted, however, that low salaries make it “a struggle to get by” and many co-workers leave for better paying jobs. Only three of 12 Bayview staff members remain from just three years ago.
“We work hard and deserve a fair wage,” she said. “S. 65 will help us achieve this.”
ABOUT SENATE BILL 65
Although more than 185,000 Massachusetts employees provide human services, the state has not appropriated any money to reflect the increased operating costs of community-based care since 1987. This has often resulted in fewer programs, lower salaries and health care plans requiring higher employee contributions.
Senate Bill 65 (S. 65), The Campaign to Strengthen Human Services, would enable providers to bid on state contracts with rates that are based upon the actual cost of providing services. It would allow providers to increase salaries, retain capable employees and raise the level of care.
S. 65 shifts the responsibility of setting rates from the state’s purchasing division to the Division of Health Care Finance and Policy, enabling important decisions to be made by people experienced in this complex field.
After having passed favorably through the Joint Committee on Children, Families and persons with Disabilities, S. 65 is currently under consideration in the Senate Ways and Means Committee.
For further information about S. 65, see www.strengthenhumanservices.org |
