AARP Endorses Family Medical Leave Insurance
By: States: New Jersey Source: AARP.org Date Posted: 2008-01-23 17:09:58.354459-05:00
What do you do when you're forced to choose between coming to work or caring for a sick or dying loved one? Do you stay home and risk financial disaster? Or show up at your job and ignore the needs of the people closest to you? It's an impossible choice, but at least 30 million Americans have to make this decision every year.
Family caregiving makes an enormous and unrecognized contribution to our economy. An AARP study showed that caretakers provided $350 billion in uncompensated care in 2006, more than the annual sales of Wal-Mart or Exxon Mobil. Caregivers are most likely to be females who have jobs outside the home, and contribute an average of 21 hours of care every week.
There's a proposal in Trenton that would ease the burden of caretakers. Family Medical Leave Insurance is a self-funded program that would allow workers to receive modest compensation when they must take time off to care for family members, or for a birth or adoption. Caretakers could have peace of mind and financial security while giving parents, spouses or children the attention they need. The plan involves only a small weekly contribution from employees, and would be an invaluable safety net for working caregivers.
Providing better support for family caregivers is essential to the well-being of our health care system, our long-term care system and our economy. The bill's sponsors have made significant compromises to address businesses' concerns. This is an issue everyone should get behind.
AARP has teamed up with the New Jersey Partnership for Working Families and NJ Time to Care to pass this bill. Help us. Call your legislators today and tell them to support A873 and S786. Call AARP’s Family Leave Hotline at 1-877-696-2282.
Other Resources
NJ Time To Care
http://www.njtimetocare.rutgers.edu/
New Jersey Partnership for Working Families
http://www.njp4wf.org/
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