By Howard Fischer | Capitol Media Services via Arizona Capitol Times
AHCCCS expansion on the ropes after federal matching funds decision
The state’s hospital industry is gearing up to fight a ballot measure that would require its members give virtually all their employees a 20 percent pay hike over four years.
Greg Ensell, spokesman for the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association said wages already are higher than the statewide average, at least when considering everyone employed by hospitals from top executives on down. And he said there is no hard evidence to back claims by supporters of the initiative being financed by a California-based union that the current wage structure is leading to staff shortages or high turnover.
The association also is opposed to another provision of the measure that seeks to impose new oversight about the incidence of hospital-acquired infections.
