The Ins and Outs of Hazard Pay for Healthcare Workers

​Essential health care workers are putting their lives on the line as they treat patients and attempt to control the spread of COVID-19. This webinar, hosted by Fitzhugh Mullan Institute for Health Workforce Equity, examines the concept of Hazard Pay, defined by the U.S. Department of Labor as “additional pay for performing hazardous duties or physical hardship.” The speakers of the webinar include Dr. Michael Strain, Arthur F. Burns Scholar in Political Economy and Director of Economic Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI); Dr. Sarah Nolan, Deputy Policy Director for Healthcare at Service Employees International Union (SEIU); and Ms. Laura Wooster, Associate Executive Director of Public Affairs at the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP). This panel provides a brief overview of current hazard pay proposals, examines the need and impact of hazard pay for low and high wage essential health care workers, and offers an economist perspective and possible approaches.