As the Connecticut Legislature debates a bill requiring private businesses to provide paid sick days to its workers, the Institute for Women's Policy Research has issued a report saying paid sick days will save the state – and the healthcare system – money.
IWPR, a Washington, D.C.-based women's issues think tank, based its report on an analysis of data from the National Health Interview Survey. The analysis found that those with paid sick days "experience better self-reported health, a lower likelihood of delayed medical care, and fewer visits to hospital emergency departments."
The IWPR reports that 37 percent of Connecticut's private sector workforce (471,000 workers) are without paid sick days. The organization determined that if those workers were to gain paid sick days, "nearly 26,000 emergency department visits per year would be prevented, resulting in healthcare cost reductions of $18 million annually" and saving Connecticut taxpayers an estimated $4.7 million annually from reduced emergency department use.
