Extreme heat. Rising bills. No Paid Leave. Arizona workers are being pushed to the brink.
By Erick Abarca, Poder Latinx Arizona
This week, Arizona saw record-breaking high temperatures for this time of year, another reminder that extreme heat is no longer a future threat. It’s already here. And for many of the families I work with across our communities, it’s both uncomfortable and dangerous.
On National Health Care Rights Day (March 22), we’re supposed to reflect on the idea that health care is a right. But on the ground in Arizona, I hear a very different reality.
In conversations at doors, community events, and organizing meetings, the same concerns come up again and again. Workers tell us they push through heat exhaustion because missing a shift isn’t an option. Parents delay doctor visits because rent and groceries come first. Canvassers share stories of knocking on doors in extreme heat, hearing from residents who are rationing air conditioning just to keep their energy bills from spiraling out of control.
And that’s the other piece of this crisis. Even as temperatures rise, utility costs also increase, forcing families into impossible decisions between staying cool, staying healthy, and remaining financially afloat.
When Heat, Health, and Pay Collide
Arizona’s extreme heat doesn’t just raise temperatures, it raises the stakes. Without guaranteed paid family and medical leave, too many workers are forced to choose between:
Recovering from illness or keeping their paycheck
Staying home during dangerous heat conditions or risking their health on the job
Caring for a loved one or keeping the lights on
The only federal protection available, the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), offers unpaid leave, however many workers don’t even qualify. That means taking time off to recover, seek care, or protect yourself during extreme conditions often comes at a direct financial cost.
So we have to ask: What does it really mean to have a right to health care if you’re penalized for using it?
The Cost of Being Ignored
What I hear most isn’t just frustration. It’s exhaustion. People feel like they’re doing everything right: working hard, showing up, taking care of their families. But the systems meant to support them are falling short. And too often, they feel like no one is listening. This message is for them.
For the worker who keeps going in 100-degree heat because they can’t afford not to.
For the parent who delays care because missing work means falling behind.
For the families trying to stay cool while watching their energy bills climb higher each month
If we’re serious about health care rights, we have to go beyond access. We need policies that recognize people's lived realities. Especially in states like Arizona where extreme heat is a daily threat for much of the year. That means ensuring workers can take time off to care for their health without losing income; protecting workers from unsafe conditions during extreme heat; lowering the cost burden of staying safe at home, including access to affordable energy. Health doesn’t start in a doctor’s office. It starts with the ability to rest, recover, and stay safe without risking everything else.
The Bottom Line
No one should have to choose between their health and their paycheck. But in Arizona, that’s exactly the choice too many families are forced to make every single day. On National Health Care Rights Day, we should ask ourselves: who is our system really working for?
It’s time for Arizona’s leaders to act. We need bold policies that guarantee paid family and medical leave, protect workers from extreme heat, and lower the cost of staying safe at home. Call your local, state and federal representatives. Share your story. Stand with the workers and families who are demanding better.
Because until our policies catch up to reality, health care rights in Arizona will remain out of reach for the people who need them most.
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