They're trying to convince Gov. Jerry Brown that $225 million in proposed cuts to home health care funding are counter-productive. The public employees union says it costs on average five times more to put a patient in a nursing home, than treat them in their own home.
"If we can do things like integrate the home care provider into the health care delivery system, we can cut down on chronic illnesses like diabetes and we can prevent those nursing home stays and those hospital stays," said Michael Cox, the Public Employees Union director.
Cuts to home health care are part of an effort to close a roughly $16 billion state budget deficit. The budget is due this Friday.
