We are entering a crisis involving a soaring demand for home health care workers, according to this article in the August 5, 2012 edition of Bloomberg/Businessweek News.

According to the article, the US Labor Department projects that there will be a need for 1.3 million more of these workers during the next decade.

Yet the article reports the average wage for these workers is $9.70/hour, which is 4 cents an hour less than the average fast food server makes. Medical insurance is typically not included.

Nearly half of today’s home health care workers live at or below poverty level. Many receive government benefits such as food stamps.

If this soaring demand for home health care cannot be met, OR if people cannot afford such care because they have avoiding long-term care planning and have not purchased reasonably-priced long-term care insurance, people will probably be forced to move in with relatives or enter nursing homes, which will cost taxpayers even more.