A new study from the Institute for Women's Policy Research findsthat giving employees access to paid sick days reduces visits tohospital emergency rooms, saving $1 billion every year. IMPR alsofound that paid sick days are associated with better overallhealth, fewer delays in medical care, and fewer ER visits foradults and their children.
|The study controlled for various factors, including healthinsurance status. Employees who are able to use paid sick days havean easier time seeing a doctor during normal business hours,decreasing the likelihood that the employee will put off neededcare for themselves or their family members. It also increasesrates of preventive care among employees and their children.
|Roughly $47 billion is spent annually on ER visits. The studyshowed that shifting the cost of preventable diseases fromemergency departments to doctor's offices, clinics, and otheroutpatient settings, paid sick days would reduce overall annualhealth expenditures by around two percentage points to save $1billion.
|Since $500 million in preventable disease costs are coveredevery year by taxpayers through programs such as Medicare,Medicaid, SHIP, and Veterans Affairs, this cost-saving analysis issignificant.
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