Today’s New York Times reported on the problems small businesses have in securing healthcare insurance for their employees. This is a huge problem since “Of the 47 million uninsured people in this country, at least 20 million are employed by small businesses or work for themselves — a figure that has increased by an average of more than 500,000 a year since 2000.”
Small businesses pay about 18% more than do major firms for the same type of coverage. They face wild jumps in rates when they replace a younger worker with an older worker or a male with a female. In some cases, workers must also qualify, that is prove that they are in good health; something older workers have a harder time doing.
The abuses in the healthcare system are many. They will continue as long as we allow the healthcare providers the freedom to do whatever they will. Last year, even as the CEO of Anthem Blue Cross received $42 million in bonuses, in an act called rescission, they have been systematically dropping individuals’ healthcare policy after they seek service for major illnesses and refusing to pay valid hospital claims. You can imagine most of those affected are in their middle or older years. (Recently, 480 California hospitals banded together and successfully sued Blue Cross).
The fact that these types of abuses are a part of our healthcare system is an indictment against our society. Does the right of these firms to exploit us trump the rights of the people to have reasonable healthcare? With more of the population working for small companies, this issue deserves serious attention, since an unhealthy society cannot compete in this globalized world.
According to a recent study, workers with office plants rated themselves happier with their work life than those workers without plants. They also rated themselves as happier with life in general. The most satisfied were those lucky enough to have windows and office plants, but that group was only slightly happier than those who did not have windows but did have office plants. It is believed that the reason they benefit is because indoor plants help to purify the air, provide a calming visual, and link us to our evolutionary past.
I read in the New York Times the other day about the rising opportunities for those working as geriatric care managers. Some working in this field specialize in dementia or aging related issues like depression or relocation.
There seems to be opportunities to make good money. The article reports that it’s possible to work solo and for social services agencies or small practices, making from $50,000 to $80,000 at an agency or small practice, $250,000 to $500,000 as an owner, or up to a $100,000, working solo.
Requirements are related to licensing and experience. Technically, anyone can call themselves a geriatric care manager. But the association requires new members to hold one of four certifications. Among them is care manager certified, issued by the National Academy of Certified Care Managers. It requires several years of supervised experience and a four-hour exam.
Another possibility is working as a certified case manager. Certified Case Manager Certification requires a degree in a caregiving field such as nursing and social work, as well as experience and an exam.
Anyone working in the profession need to be familiar with the physical, emotional and social issues of aging, as well as with local resources. More colleges are offering programs in geriatric care management. Information on training and requirements can be acquired at the care managers association www.caremanager.org.
Of course there are some drawbacks. According to the article, some of them may have to do with mediating bitter family conflicts, being on call round the clock. Because geriatric care management is rarely covered by insurance, most clients pay out of pocket. Those starting practices may earn nothing or very little the first year, as they build networks.
Many older people are still working. But the vast majority of those 65+ are working in retail. According to the L.A. Times, a new report scheduled for release in June show that 350,000 men and women 65 and older work in retail. They are working for a variety of reasons. Many of them say they want or need to work past retirement. Unfortunately, most employers are reluctant to hire them.
Statistics from the Urban Institute show that older workers are likely to work in retail, farming or janitorial work. Twice as many older workers are in retail than the next two occupations combined, contributing to what call the “Wal-Mart decade.” Working in retail does offer some benefits. These are flexibility, jobs, and some benefits. Home Depot is an example of a company that is eager to hire older workers. It hooked up with the AARP to entice older workers to come to work for them. They point out that older workers are loyal and dependable. They also point out that the entire work force is growing older.
The science, engineering, technology professions also referred to as SET are disproportionately male. This despite the fact that 46 percent of the Ph.D.s in the biological sciences are awarded to women; 31 percent in chemistry are awarded to women; and 21 percent in engineering are awarded to women. It’s not that women are not doing well in the SET professions: 41 percent of entry level workers in the SET professions are women. Its not that they don‘t perform well: 75 percent of women compared to 61 percent of males age 25 to 29 receive positive evaluations.The reason is that around the age of 40, women leave the science, engineering, and technology fields in droves.
The reason is culture. According to a recent survey that is expected to be published in the Harvard Business Review in June, men in these professions are often hostile to women in the profession; (63 percent of women say they experienced harassment on the job); and have dismissive attitudes toward female colleagues (53 percent said in order to succeed in their careers they had to “act like a man”). Women lack of mentors (51 percent of engineers say they lack one). Finally, the report shows that the hours are ones that suit men with wives at home but not working mothers (41 percent of technology workers says they need to be available “24/7”).
Women are in fact being driven out of the professions by a machismo culture that is hostile to women. This is a liability for the US economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that jobs in these industries will grow 5 times faster than in other industries. It is also a liability for women. In the new workplace, most new jobs created are expected to be in the low wage sector. If women leave the field to men, they run the risk of consigning themselves to lower wage jobs that offer few opportunities.
There is a reason workers are feeling squeezed. In addition to the housing situation, employment is a problem for many Americans. The Department of Labor’s latest report shows that there was a large increase in the number of individuals working part-time for economic reasons. Between April 2007 and April 2008 the number of part-time workers increased by 306,000. The reason they gave for working part time was because their hours had been cut back or they could not find fulltime work.
The report also shows that about 1.4 million individuals wanted and were available for work, but had given up because they did not believe work was available for them. These figures are not reflected in the unemployment rate, and indicate that the employment situation is worse than what the unemployment rate indicates.
At this point most American workers understand that this downward pressure on jobs is largely due to globalization as good paying jobs continue to be outsourced to places like China and India.
The new Department of Labor report validates the belief that much of future job demand will be in health care sectors. These are jobs that provide some sort of care for the elderly, disabled and very young. I believe present and future workers should use this information to exert pressure on the industry to improve working conditions including pay and compensation.
A brief summary of the latest report:
The U.S. labor department reported job loss were 20,000, far fewer than the 80,000 that had been projected. Still they represented a decreased chance for job seekers to obtain jobs. So far the economy has undergone a four-month period of monthly job losses. This is the longest period since 2008 when the economy was in the jobless recovery. Job losses were biggest in construction and goods producing industries. Gains were greatest in the service industry, most from health care and professional technical services sector.
The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that workers can sue employers over 401(k) losses. 50 million workers have more than $3 trillion invested in 401(k) and other retirement plans. The ruling allows workers to sue employers over fees they are charged in connection with these plans and potentially hold employers liable for losses.
In the past most pensions guaranteed benefits for life. Workers were faced with few decisions on how to handle the money. Today 401(k)s and programs known as defined contribution plans are affected by investment decisions, movements in financial markets and fees charged by fund managers. Fees are often hidden and can significantly limit the growth of retirement funds over time. For example, blue-chip companies such as Lockheed Martin Corp. and the Bechtel Group charge excessive fees for managing retirement accounts, fees that are unjustified and that hurt workers long-term profits. Money managers may also choose to invest your funds in high risk stocks, even if you expressly tell them not to do so. The ruling provides employees and retirees with the right to seek financial redress when these types of conflicts occur.
Although, it makes sense to offer workers some redress from decisions made by money managers whose sole motivation seems to be their own pocketbook, a possible downside is that it could lead small employers to abandon pension plans. This is because it’s unlikely that they have the resources to withstand costly litigation. For them it may be in their best interest to simply not offer the benefit. Even so I wholeheartedly agree with the Supreme Court’s decision.
I found this info in an L.A. Times article, dated 2/21/2008.
In my last post, I listed the top ten occupations that according to the Department of Labor are expected to show the most growth. In this post I list the next 10. These are:
11. Skin care specialists
12. Financial analysts
13. Social and human service assistants
14. Gaming surveillance officers and gaming investigators
15. Physical therapist assistants
16. Pharmacy technicians
17. Forensic science technicians
18. Dental hygienists
19. Mental health counselors
20. Mental health and substance abuse social workers
In these recessionary times, job security is more important than ever. One hedge against unemployment is positioning yourself for employment with high growth industries or occupations. The 10 fastest growing occupations as reported by the Department of Labor are:
Network systems and data communications analysts
Personal and home care aides
Home health aides
Computer software engineers
Veterinary technologists and technicians
Personal financial advisors
Makeup artists
Medical assistants
Veterinarians
Substance abuse and behavioral disorder counselors
