Chicago-based home health provider Help at Home will lay off 785 workers in Alabama as it plans to leave the state, laying blame on the state's inaction to expand Medicaid, al.com reported Sept. 15.
Help at Home plans to cease operations in Alabama Sept. 30 when its annual contract with the state for services expires, according to the report. The layoffs — which affect employees scattered throughout every county in the state — are effective Nov. 4. The company will offer severance and retention packages to full-time employees.
"The current reimbursement and regulatory environment for Medicaid-funded home care has made it difficult to recruit, hire and retain workforce and we have not been able to overcome these challenges in the state of Alabama," a spokesperson told al.com.
Help at Home, which primarily provides services for elderly and disabled patients, has operated in Alabama since 1975, according to the report. The company employs 53,000 caregivers in 10 other states.