Home‑care Pay as Political Rent

State programs that pay home caregivers can become large fiscal pools that political actors and unions exploit: when oversight is weak, payments (and union dues) can be redirected into patronage, campaign funding, or fraud, producing both large budgetary losses and concentrated political benefits. — Recognizing caregiver‑pay programs as potential political‑rent mechanisms reframes debates about fraud, union power, and reform options across states that run similar programs.