Rural workers less likely to have access to family leave

Kaiser Health News and NPR reported a few days ago from Elko, Nevada, population 18,927.  The headline is "With less access to paid leave, rural workers face hard choices about health, family," and the story is reported by Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez.  An excerpt follows:  

Wild variations in paid leave regulations from state to state and locally mean those choices [about taking leave] can be further complicated by financial factors.

And workers in rural areas face even more challenges than those in cities, including greater distances to hospitals and fewer medical providers, exacerbating health and income disparities. Companies in rural areas may be less likely to voluntarily offer the benefit because they tend to be smaller and there are fewer employers for workers to choose from.

While a growing number of states, cities, and counties have passed laws ensuring paid sick leave or general paid time off in recent years, most states where more than 20% of the population is rural haven't, leaving workers vulnerable. Vermont and New Mexico are the only states with a sizable rural population that have passed laws requiring some form of paid sick leave.

Experts say the gaps in paid leave requirements mean workers in rural areas often struggle to care for themselves or loved ones while making ends meet.

"The problem is, because it's a small percentage of the population, it's often forgotten," said Anne Lofaso, a professor of law at West Virginia University.