Is Donald Trump watching? The U.S. is facing a massive healthcare crisis, without immigrants, there’s no one to care for the elderly

America is racing towards a home healthcare disaster, according to a report. As the population in the US ages, the nation confronts an alarming task: employing sufficient personnel to take care of the elderly, as per Off The Front Page report.

By the next decade, the US will have to replace 9.3 million direct care job openings for home health aides, nursing assistants, and personal care aides, the workers who assist ageing family and friends with dressing, eating, bathing, and keeping them safe in their own homes, according to the report.

America is Growing Older Quickly

The cause of this coming crisis is that America is getting old quick, as per Off The Front Page report. Until 2060, the population aged 85 and above will almost triple to 19 million, while the population of working-age individuals remains nearly flat, as per the report. There will be fewer individuals to offer care for increasing numbers of ageing Americans who will need it the most, reported Off The Front Page.

Low Wages

Even though direct care workers are an essential part of American society, the profession is burdened with low pay, even though turnover is high, as per the report. In 2022, home care workers earned only a median hourly wage of $14.50, reported Off The Front Page. While, the median wage for direct care workers in 2023 was just $16.72 per hour, as per the report. Almost 37% of direct care workers depend on public benefit programs just to survive, as per the report.

President of SEIU Local 2015, Arnulfo De La Cruz said, “This is poverty work, it’s done primarily by women at rates that are a tiny bit above minimum wage,” quoted Off The Front Page report.

Immigrants: The Backbone of Home Healthcare

A significant portion of the direct care workforce consists of immigrants, about one-third of home care workers in the US are immigrants, according to the report. Most of them are employed by Medicaid-covered programs or on the "gray market" where they work privately, as per the report. But new immigration policies under US president Donald Trump are threatening this essential workforce, according to Off The Front Page report. Work permits are being cancelled, humanitarian parole programs have been reduced, and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) has been reverted for hundreds of thousands of employees from nations such as Venezuela, Haiti, Cuba, and Nicaragua, reported Off The Front Page.

President of the National Immigration Forum, Jennie Murray claimed that, “Without them, people will have trouble finding care and will be forced to go without care,” quoted Off The Front Page.

The Perfect Storm: No Immigrants, No Care

While fewer immigrants are able to work legally in the US, families are turning to the gray market, hiring off-the-books workers with no regulation or protections, reported Off The Front Page. Some even need to cut down on their work hours or quit jobs to care for ageing families, as per the report.

Even demand for healthcare is rising. Home care is projected to add more new jobs than any other occupation in the country between 2021 and 2031, reported Off The Front Page.

De La Cruz highlighted that “Targeting immigration and Medicaid is the perfect storm for attacking care. We will not be able to meet the needs of the elderly. People will go without care,” as quoted in the report.

FAQs

Is the demand for home care expected to increase?
Yes, demand for home care is expected to increase. Home care is projected to add more jobs than any other occupation in the US between 2021 and 2031.

How does immigration affect home care in the US?
Immigrants make up about a third of the home care workforce in the US. New immigration policies have reduced their ability to work legally.