OXNARD — While California battles the second wave of COVID-19 cases, local agriculture workers are putting themselves in harm’s way to produce product for consumers and businesses. Latinos represent the majority of California’s essential workforce and make up around 55% of the state’s confirmed COVID-19 cases to date. With their lives on the line to provide for others, these workers not only face the risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19, but many do not have health insurance should they need medical care to treat the virus.
According to a pre-COVID study by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, Latinos in California are less likely have health insurance due to lack of access through an employer, the unaffordability of insurance and, in many cases, coverage denial due to immigration status. COVID-19 has only amplified these existing issues surrounding access to healthcare.
Currently, Latinos are contracting COVID-19 at disproportionate rates. As the spike in cases continues, California businesses are making difficult financial decisions to save their companies by rolling back employee benefits including healthcare. As a result, many essential workers who were fortunate to access to healthcare are losing medical benefits in a time where their health is critical and the number of uninsured agricultural workers continues to rise.
The majority of agriculture workers are low-wage, seasonal, part-time or on H2A visas, which usually disqualifies them from having full medical benefits. Because of COVID-19’s impact on growers and farmers, business owners need a new solution to provide healthcare access for all employees. In this ‘Age of Pandemics’, cost-efficient healthcare is critical for all, especially when there is the potential to contract the virus on the jobsite.
Oxnard-based healthcare company WorXsiteHR is working with local employers to offer a new healthcare plan to bring peace of mind to the essential workforce. This means all employees – part-time, seasonal, and low-wage workers – can go to work without having to worry about their access to healthcare during the pandemic. This unique program empowers employers to provide employees with ERISA and ACA-compliant healthcare at no-cost and, furthermore, allows employers to better protect local agriculture workers and farmers.
While our post-pandemic future remains filled with uncertainties, there is one thing that can be agreed on – the health and wellness of all workers is the number one priority. Local businesses in conjunction with WorXsiteHR are coming together to provide the essential workforce with relief, security, and healthcare coverage to get through these challenging times. Despite the financial and health uncertainties that lie ahead, it’s reassuring that locals are coming together to give back and protect the essential workforce who are helping us stay afloat amid the pandemic.