Join the DCA in Answering the President’s Call to Action

President Obama

In his State of the Union Address last Tuesday, President Obama reiterated that his Administration’s #1 priority is to create more jobs and get our economy back on track. He also challenged Congress: “Don’t walk away from health care reform.”

The DCA applauds the President’s call to action. With more than a quarter of all direct care workers lacking health insurance, making quality health care affordable for all Americans remains our top priority. We’re also working to get direct care on the job creation agenda, so some of that funding will go to improve the quality of direct care jobs, ensuring that we can satisfy consumer demand for a stable, well-qualified workforce.

Direct care jobs are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations in the USA over the next decade. That means our nation is facing a crucial choice. We can continue to tolerate low-paying, poor-quality jobs that swell the ranks of the working poor and lead to poor care. Or we can invest in the direct care workforce.

If we invest in the workforce by increasing wages, improving benefits, and providing additional training, we can contribute to our economic recovery, help rebuild America’s vanishing middle class, and ensure high-quality care for the millions of Americans who receive long-term care services.

Making sure direct care workers have access to affordable, quality health insurance is a crucial part of that investment, which is why we must support the Senate’s health care reform bill. The bill is not perfect, but the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 31 million uninsured Americans will be covered if it is passed. That represents too big a step forward for us to allow it to fail.

Take Action Now

Please respond to the President’s call to action by contacting your Senator and Congressional Representative and telling them why we must pass health care reform. Just call (800) 828-0498 toll-free. The switchboard operator will connect you with your representatives.

While you’re speaking with the staff people for your representatives, please take a minute to remind them that a thriving American economy depends on a strong middle class. Let them know that one of the best ways to rebuild our disappearing middle class would be to invest in direct care jobs. After all, direct care is one of our fast-growing job professions – and these jobs can’t be shipped overseas.

Related materials

Direct Care Worker Principles for Health Care Reform (PDF)

David Ward
Director of Policy and Planning
Direct Care Alliance