Why Maximus Workers Are Walking off the Job

[Omaha Steve]

https://inequality.org/research/maximus-healthcare/

I help seniors access affordable healthcare through Medicare. It’s time for the Biden Administration to make sure I can afford my own.
Research & Commentary
November 09, 2023

by Christina Jimenez

As a federal customer service representative, I help seniors access the healthcare they need through Medicare, often handling hundreds of calls per day to sign people up, answer their questions, help them navigate billing, and more.

I am an expert on these programs, but the hard truth is that despite working for the largest federal call center contractor, Maximus, I don’t have access to affordable health coverage for myself and my three children and my pay is so low I’m struggling to stay afloat. This is why I’m going on strike today with hundreds of my co-workers who are experiencing similar struggles.

I care deeply about the work that I do and the people that I help at the Maximus Federal call center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. It’s not easy navigating our healthcare system, and I take pride in making sure that the process is as painless as possible for seniors who, oftentimes, are extremely frustrated. Sadly, as a worker at Maximus, I know that feeling all too well.

Unlike customer service workers directly employed by the government, who are paid living wages and have access to good benefits, I make $16.20 per hour, the minimum allowed for federal contract workers. It is almost impossible to pay bills as a parent on Maximus’s wages. My children and I live in a home that’s owned by my children’s grandparents — if it wasn’t for their help, we’d likely be homeless.

FULL story at link above.