As Beltway insiders squabble over how, or whether, to overhaul Obamacare and Medicaid, one overlooked reform deserves widespread support: ending the ability of labor unions to siphon Medicaid dollars from the paychecks of caregivers serving the elderly and disabled.

One of the few bright spots for unions in recent years has been the state-by-state unionization of independent contractor home care aides serving Medicaid-eligible clients. In states like Illinois, union-beholden governors reclassified caregivers as “public employees for collective bargaining purposes” by executive order. Elsewhere, deceptive, union-backed ballot measures and legislative action set up the legal framework necessary for unionization.

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