Who wants to go to work sick?

I'm not proud of this but, back in 1986, I showed up for work sick many times because I was pregnant and needed to "save up" my sick days so that I could have some time after childbirth to tend to my new baby.

It was before the 1993 Family and Medical Leave Act, which entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons, with continuation of group health insurance coverage. (There are a lot of restrictions in coverage, leaving 40 percent of employees without its protections. Fortunately, the Supreme Court decision overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act added some coverage by extending the definition of spouse). And, let's be clear, the 1993 law allows for unpaid leave; the United States remains one of only a few countries in the world with no paid parental leave. (Can you guess at the others?).

Paid sick days? Well, we are in somewhat bigger company. Still, the United States is the only developed country that doesn't require paid sick time. That helps explain why the person working next to you, handling your food, or serving you in a retail establishment might be coughing, sneezing, running a fever, or simply struggling to stay on the job while coping with the effects of chemotherapy.

Now I'm on the other side of the fence. I don't want to be riding public transit with sick employees going to and from work; I don't want to eat at restaurants with sick workers; I don't want the cashiers and grocery baggers in my checkout line to be contagious.

One of them, as of three months ago, is Philadelphia. Only a few studies have examined the impact of these policies, but they suggest they can be helpful to workers without harming employers. Research conducted in San Francisco found that most employers saw no impact on their profits, and employee morale rose. An earlier study, using data from the National Health Interview Survey, concluded that the lack of paid sick leave served as a barrier to cancer screening and to accessing medical care. Supporting the public's health means making sure that people get the prevention and treatment they need to remain healthy.

The U.S. Senate, now back from its month-long paid recess, will soon begin discussion of the Healthy Families Act. The bill (S 497: track it!) requires certain employers to let Americans earn paid sick time. It has the endorsement of many national organizations, among them the American Public Health Association, and at least as many state-level groups, including three in Pennsylvania and 19 in New Jersey. (A full list is here.)

This legislation will save money by decreasing emergency room visits after work hours. It will support families by enabling parents to care for sick children without the loss of wages. And it will help all of us by keeping sick people out of the workplace and at home getting well. Saving money, enabling care of sick loved ones, not impoverishing families with medical crises, not picking up an infection from someone on the job—pick a reason to support the Healthy Families Act. My choice: all of the above.

And please, let's all try to avoid getting sick by getting our seasonal flu vaccine. Stand with Elmo (and the Surgeon General)!

Read more about The Public's Health.