The Supreme Court has decided not to hear a case that challenged a new Labor Department rule that requires higher wages for many home health care workers.
It means the rule will stay in place, says a story on modernhealthcare.com.
The case centered on whether the new rule should be allowed to require third party employers, such as home care agencies, to pay minimum wages and overtime to more workers.
The industry argued the rule would raise the cost of care for patients.
Advocates for employees, however, said the rule, which only applies to workers employed by agencies, would help workers and the industry in the long run. They said it would counter the “burnout” that workers face, and the resulting turnover.
The industry said it will hurt consumers.
One big question is whether states will provide the money in Medicaid (Medi-Cal in California) necessary to pay the higher wages. Many such workers are paid under the Medicaid program.
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