Boulder deserves a care cooperative.
We’re building one.
Worker-owned. Caregivers earn $26/hr W-2 plus an equity stake. Families pay less than agency rates. We launch when Boulder shows up — add your name.
Add my nameWe’re asking Boulder to build this with us.
Not a purchase. Not a pledge. Just your name and what brings you here — family member, caregiver, healthcare worker, neighbor. We collect names until we hit 200, then we hand-deliver the list to Boulder Community Health and open enrollment.
This petition goes to Boulder Community Health leadership on May 26. Share it with anyone in Boulder who has aging parents or grandparents — every name moves the number.
At 200, this goes to BCH.
Dear Boulder Community Health leadership,
Two hundred Boulder families — caregivers, discharge planners, neighbors, and people caring for aging parents — have asked us to build a worker-owned home care cooperative here.
They asked not because we told them to. They asked because turnover in this industry is ~64% per year, because agency caregivers take home $16/hr on a good day, and because families pay $30/hr for someone new every few months.
We have a different model. We’d like five minutes to show you why it belongs at Boulder Community Health’s doorstep.
— co-op.care · Built in Boulder
- Now Petition open — Boulder families, caregivers, and healthcare workers add their names.
- 200 Letter hand-delivered to BCH leadership. We request a partnership conversation.
- BCH yes Enrollment opens. First 200 founding families lock in ComfortCard membership at the founding rate.
- Month 3 First three W-2 caregivers placed with founding families. Cooperative equity begins accruing.
- Year 1 CMS pilot data collected. Outcomes reported back to BCH and the community.
The caregiver who stays is worth everything.
Home care has ~64% annual turnover because the economics are broken. We fix the economics — and stable caregivers produce stable families.
| Typical agency | co-op.care | |
|---|---|---|
| Caregiver hourly wage | $16 – $18 / hr | $26 / hr |
| Employment type | 1099 contractor | W-2 employee |
| Benefits | None | Health, PTO, sick |
| Ownership stake | None | Equity, every hour worked |
| Annual turnover rate | ~64% | Target <15% |
| Clinical oversight | Varies | Physician-attested (Altru.care DO) |
| HSA/FSA-eligible via LMN | Rarely | Yes — up to $936/yr savings |
Agency wages: BLS Occupational Handbook 2024. Turnover: Home Care Pulse 2023 Benchmarking Study.
Three things no agency can copy.
Caregivers build equity in the company they’re building.
Every hour worked earns a patronage share. 7-year revolving equity cycle, one-member-one-vote governance. That’s why turnover drops from ~64% to ~24-36% — you don’t leave a company you own.
A named physician attests every care plan.
Our Chief Medical Officer reviews every LMN, every match, every health event by name — BCH hospitalist since 2008, physician of record via Altru.care. AI drafts. The physician decides. The family sees a real name, not a chatbot.
Membership pays for itself via HSA and FSA savings.
A physician Letter of Medical Necessity (IRS § 213(d)) makes home care HSA/FSA-eligible. Average family saves $936/yr in pre-tax dollars — more than the $199/yr membership fee. Calculate yours.
Membership is open. Start here.
The petition is the community signal. The care assessment is the door you can walk through right now — 5 minutes, no account required. Tell Sage your situation and we’ll match your family to a founding caregiver spot.
No cost, no commitment. Sage reviews every response personally and follows up within 24 hours.