February collapse Senate bipartisan immigration compromise This policy was a setback for a variety of reasons, not least because it was confirmed that some elected officials were actually putting partisan interests ahead of national interests. Their decision to pre-emptively attack the deal to prevent it from passing in Congress was particularly unfortunate since the opportunity to pass something meaningful may not come again anytime soon. As a result, the problems that would have been alleviated by the scrapped agreement will remain and perhaps worsen for years to come.
This is bad news for the economy as a whole, and particularly unfortunate for the health sector. heavily dependent on immigrants for part of the workforce, as noted in a recent Brookings commentary. The foreign-born workforce is Especially important in the nursing care sector of the industryand businesses that provide support services to the elderly and people with disabilities. More than 1 in 4 workers The provision of assistance to the elderly and disabled originates outside the United States, and this exceeds that observed in other sectors of the economy.
These and other data clearly demonstrate the increasing pressure for more workers. High turnover of care workers and workforce shortages place significant burdens on patients and families and increase significant financial costs to the health care system. Mercer — actuarial and consulting firm — Expected in 2021 The health services industry as a whole will need an additional 3.2 million low-wage care workers by 2026. Nothing that has happened since 2021 has not reduced the expected demand, and with an aging population, demand will increase even more rapidly after 2026.
Staff shortages have a direct negative impact on the health of affected patients. Many older people and people with disabilities remain in more expensive facilities because they are unable to find appropriate home or community-based support. The lack of adequate long-term treatment options also forces hospitals to hold patients past appropriate discharge dates because they have nowhere to go.
More workers also translates into higher quality care, as staffing ratios within facilities have been shown to be inadequate. to increase the risk of poor outcomes.
Part of the solution is better pay. If wages are more attractive, companies will be able to attract more applicants. But higher wages are unlikely to solve the entire problem, given the resource constraints of programs and organizations that pay for these services, including Medicaid.
Immigrants will therefore partially fill the gap. Liberalizing the rules governing the entry of foreign-born workers into the industry is critical to meeting demand.
One simple reform would elevate the direct care sector of the legal immigration priority system. Many policymakers support more open rules for certain highly skilled professions because of their potential benefits to the American economy. The same logic should apply to caregivers. More workers lowers the cost of accessing services, which frees up resources for other social needs.
A second option would be to offer legal status to people currently residing in the United States without proper authorization in exchange for a promise to become caregivers in the medical field. Too many older Americans and Americans with disabilities lack willing caregivers who already live here without the services they need to live the lives they could with better supports. It is illogical for America to spend resources pushing it away.
Expanding access to willing immigrant workers is also critical for reasons beyond long-term care, as the U.S. birth rate remains below the level needed to support strong growth and a dynamic economy. .Both Social Security and Medicare face Significant shortages expected over the next few years This is because while the beneficiary population is rapidly increasing, the working population is stagnant. Providing a greater supply of legal, tax-paying immigrants is one of several changes needed to avoid needlessly painful benefit adjustments and tax increases to restore fiscal stability. be.
Immigration has been a polarizing issue in national political debate for two decades. Despite the stance of some leaders, most Americans will support a pragmatic compromise.
The starting point should be an orderly and systematic system of legal immigration that provides broader avenues for talented and hard-working immigrants to make important contributions to the economic vitality of the United States, including in the health sector. . This measure could be combined with reasonable measures to strengthen enforcement. Many foreign-born workers want to help solve America’s labor shortage problems, including in long-term care settings. Congress should give them the opportunity to do so.
