The Cost of Not Using a Qualified Home Care Company

How much does Home Care cost? A simple question with a complex answer. You might ask, “Why so complex?” The cost of home care depends on the type of home care you find. First let’s look at working with a full-service Home Care company. Full service Home Care is a total employer of the caregiver. For a set bill rate you will receive a caregiver who will meet the needs of the care recipient. When your caregiver is fully employed by a home care company you needn’t worry about a thing. Your caregiver’s taxes are paid, and the caregiver is covered by liability, bonding and workman’s compensation insurance. You will never have to worry about owing the government anything for having the caregiver in your home and your home is protected from any form of liability. The cost for this care is $17 – $20 per hour.

Now let’s pretend that $17 – $20 is too expensive for you. You reach out to a referral agency or find a caregiver in the Pennysaver. That caregiver is going to ask for $12-$15 per hour. Wow! That’s up to $8 per hour cheaper, except it’s not. With this model, you have the headache of trying to employ this caregiver, meaning you will pay 6.2% FICA (Social Security), 1.45% Medicare, .8% FUTA & 5.3% SUTA (Federal and state unemployment taxes.) On top of that, if the caregiver injures themselves in your home you will either shoulder the cost of their medical care or receive a lawsuit to pay for that medical care.

Far too often people in the market for home care have no idea the additional burden a home care company caries to protect their clients and their employees. Also think about what you will do when you hire your own caregiver and that caregiver gets sick for several days. Will you go a few days without help, or try and hire another caregiver. If you had an agreement with a Home Care agency, they would simply provide you with another great caregiver until your regular caregiver returns.

You have enough to worry about. You may be concerned over your health or the health of a loved one. You might have work and family to take care of. It is in your best interest to deeply explore all of the benefits of a company who is the full employer of the caregiver, before you decide it’s too expensive and you end up taking your chances with a caregiver that seemed cheaper…until.

Chris Hardeman, President

DialMED Home Care