Workers Without Paid Sick Leave Less Likely To Take Time Off For Illness Or Injury Compared To Those With Paid Sick Leave

• Published in: Health Affairs Vol. 35; no. 3; pp. 520 - 527
• Main Authors: DeRigne, LeaAnne, Stoddard-Dare, Patricia, Quinn, Linda
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The People to People Health Foundation, Inc., Project HOPE 01.03.2016
• Subjects: Adult; Adults; Correlation analysis; Cross-Sectional Studies; Databases, Factual; Employee benefits; Employees; Employer Health Costs; Employers; Employment; Female; Health behavior; Health care; Health care policy; Health insurance; Health services; Humans; Illnesses; Incidence; Insurance Benefits - economics; Insurance Benefits - statistics & numerical data; Insurance coverage; Insurance Coverage - statistics & numerical data; Interviews as Topic; Leaves of absence; Male; Maternity & paternity leaves; Middle Aged; Part time; Public health; Reference Values; Risk; Sick leave; Sick Leave - economics; Sick Leave - statistics & numerical data; Sickness benefit plans; Studies; United States; Work; Workers; Workers' Compensation - economics; Workers' Compensation - statistics & numerical data; United States > US; forgone care; Disparities; Workforce Issues; delayed care
• ISSN: 0278-2715; 1544-5208
• DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2015.0965

Paid sick leave is an important employer-provided benefit that helps people obtain health care for themselves and their dependents. But paid sick leave is not universally available to US workers. Little is known about paid sick leave and its relationship to health behaviors. Contrary to public health goals to reduce the spread of illness, our findings indicate that in 2013 both full- and part-time working adults without paid sick leave were more likely than workers with that benefit to attend work when ill. Those without paid sick leave were 3.0 times more likely to forgo medical care for themselves and 1.6 times more likely to forgo medical care for their family compared to working adults with paid sick leave benefits. Moreover, the lowest-income group of workers without paid sick leave were at the highest risk of delaying and forgoing medical care for themselves and their family members. Policy makers should consider the potential public health implications of their decisions when contemplating guaranteed sick leave benefits.