TNR: Industry experts: UC Health Minimum Wage Increase May Not Be Enough

As the university’s affiliated health system substantially increased the minimum wage for its employees last month, researchers and health industry experts have said the change may not be enough. UC Health announced Sept. 18 its decision to increase its employees’ minimum wage to $14 per hour. The raise, going into effect this coming January, will increase the wages of about 1,700 employees and cost UC Health approximately $1 million. According to the study’s authors, Drs. Kathryn Himmelstein and Atheendar Venkataramani, a universal adoption of a $15 minimum wage could dramatically reduce the rate of poverty for low-wage health care workers nationwide. However, it would also cost the health care industry about $28 billion, which some argue would be unjustifiably expensive. Read more at The News Record