Low-wage jobs trigger demand for public assistance; the average worker also spends more on health insurance.
BY JACOB PALMER | OB DIGITAL NEWS EDITOR
Low-wage jobs trigger demand for public assistance; the average worker also spends more on health insurance.
OregonLive.com reported on the “The High Cost of Low Wages in Oregon” study that found that stagnating wages are forcing the working class onto the public dole.
According to the report, one in four Oregon workers work part time, and of those people, one-quarter would work more hours if their employer offered more. Nearly 7 percent of Oregon workers juggle more than one job.
Forty percent of adults who received help paying for food from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in January 2014 earned wages in 2013.
Another study, this one done by the Commonwealth Fund, found workers are paying a higher percentage of their income on health insurance premiums.
Dr. David Blumenthal, president of The Commonwealth Fund, said in a statement accompanying the Dec. 9 report, “As employers struggle to keep health insurance premium costs manageable, they are asking their workers to pay a larger share of their insurance costs. The recent slowdowns in overall health care costs are promising, but clearly they have not translated into relief for workers, who are spending more of their incomes on health coverage.”
Laura Cali, the Oregon state insurance commissioner, said Wednesday that while she has not yet seen a state-by-state analysis, the national trends are consistent with what she has seen in Oregon.
Read more at OregonLive.com.
