Social ContractAmerican politics and policy is badly tilted against working families. We have limited liability for corporations, but increasingly we have full liability for American families. This must change, and the change should begin with health care, the epicenter of economic insecurity for millions of hardworking Americans. Health reform doesn’t have to be complicated, just effective. Let every employer and worker have a choice: Buy insurance through the private sector, or buy it through Medicare. Americans should also have access to an all-purpose catastrophic insurance policy to protect themselves and their families against huge drops in income or budget-breaking expenses. These and other innovative reforms outlined in The Great Risk Shift are designed to catch people when they plummet from the ladder of economic advancement. But they’re not just about security, but also about opportunity. By providing workers and their families with the financial security they need to look with hope and optimism toward the future, they will help millions of now-anxious Americans reach for and achieve the American Dream. From The Great Risk Shift (web page): Jacob S. Hacker Most advanced countries guarantee their social contracts, but not the US. Government and Corporations are increasingly shifting risk to you,. Corporations traditionally have provided health benefits, pensions, and other insurance to their employees. It never covered everyone, but for many people it worked. No more. Now, it turns out, corporations no longer feel able to pay for such guarantees, and with the help of Republicans, they have shifted these responsibilities on to families. With falling wages, less job security, and serious inflation it is no wonder that many people have fallen behind. Republicans have advocated policies of individual responsibility. You are on your own. 401k's, Medical Savings Accounts, and a push to privatize Social Security were all efforts to help corporations unload their social burdens. Result is there is much more insecurity for US families. There was little opposition because Republican policy has been hostile to unions that might have objected, and besides virtually all media is corporate. LinksNational Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare BibliographyThe Great Risk Shift: Jacob S. Hacker |