DeRigne LeaAnne, Stoddard-Dare Patricia, Quinn Linda
LeaAnne DeRigne (
Patricia Stoddard-Dare is an associate professor at the School of Social Work, Cleveland State University, in Ohio.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2016 Mar;35(3):520-7. 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.
带薪病假是雇主提供的一项重要福利，有助于人们为自己和受抚养人获得医疗保健。但美国工人并非普遍都能享受带薪病假。对于带薪病假及其与健康行为的关系，人们了解甚少。与减少疾病传播的公共卫生目标相反，我们的研究结果表明，2013年，没有带薪病假的全职和兼职在职成年人在生病时比享有该福利的工人更有可能去上班。与享有带薪病假福利的在职成年人相比，没有带薪病假的人放弃为自己就医的可能性高出3.0倍，为家人放弃就医的可能性高出1.6倍。此外，没有带薪病假的最低收入工人群体为自己和家人推迟及放弃医疗护理的风险最高。政策制定者在考虑有保障的病假福利时，应考虑其决策可能对公众健康产生的影响。
