Paid Sick Days in Chicago Would Lower Health Care Costs by Reducing Unnecessary Emergency Department Visits

In Chicago, 42 percent of the private workforce, or approximately 461,000 employees, lack access to paid sick days. This fact sheet reports findings from research by the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR) on how increased access to paid sick days would improve both accesses to health care and health outcomes in the City of Chicago. The research also quantifies the savings gained by providing access to paid sick days to all workers, by preventing unnecessary emergency department visits in Chicago.