Cikal bakal Medicare (Medibank) memang dihasilkan oleh pemerintahan Partai Buruh pada tahun 1975 dengan serikat-serikat buruh umumnya selalu mendukung kebijakan-kebijakan Partai Buruh.
Pada masa pemerintahan John Howard dari Partai Koalisi yang seperti halnya Partai Republik di AS yang lebih mementingkan kepentingan orang-orang kaya, dia pernah berusaha mengubah sistem Medicare lebih kearah sistem di AS yang lebih banyak kearah asuransi pribadi. Perbandingan pengeluaran biaya kesehatan per kapita antara Australia dan negara-negara lainnya ada dalam situs berikut di mana untuk Australia jumlahnya termasuk paling kecil. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicare_(Australia) --- In [email protected], "Jusfiq" <kesayangan.allah@...> wrote: > > > Australia, saya tahu, termasuk negeri yang punya jaminan sosial dan jaminan > kesehatan yang aduhai... > > Dan ini karena Australia punya serikat buruh yang gigih menuntut keadilan > sosial, seperti juga dibeberapa negeri Eropa. > > Saya perluas diskusi ini dan kembali ke Indonesia: > > Inilah salah satu kejahatan partai stalinis fascist PKI... > > mereka telah mematikan gerakan buruh di Indonesia dengan mendukung perampokan > perusahaan Belanda di Indonesia (istilahnya nasionalisasi) dan menempatkan > pemipin SOBSI menjadi direksi perusahaan yang dirampok itu untuk bersama-sama > dengan serdadu memporak porandakan perusahaan itu. > > Ekonomi Indonesia karena itu berantakan dan serikat buruhpun semaput dan > hingga sekarang belum bangkit kembali. > > Agar jelas: bila Indonesia itu hingga sekarang dedel duwel maka partai > fascsist stalinis PKI itu ikut bertanggung jawab. > > > --- In [email protected], "Teddy S." <teddyr@> wrote: > > > > AS memang jauh tertinggal dalam hal jaminan sosial dan kesehatan > > dibandingkan dengan negara-negara industri lainnya, tapi persentasi pajak > > yang mereka bayar juga terkecil bila dibandingkan dengan persentasi pajak > > yang dibayar oleh orang-orang yang tinggal di negara-negara maju di Eropa > > maupun Australia. Jelas tidak mungkin memberikan jaminan sosial dan > > kesehatan yang aduhai dengan relatif sedikitnya dana yang terkumpul dari > > para pembayar pajak. Bagi mereka yang punya posisi tinggi di AS, perusahaan > > membayar asuransi kesehatan mereka. Disamping itu jaminan sosial merupakan > > fungsi dari besar gaji di mana semakin tinggi pendapatan sebelumnya, maka > > akan semakin tinggi pula besar santunannya. Jadi untuk kelompok ini, > > semuanya nyaman saja karena 'take home pay' jumlahnya besar dan tidak > > keluar uang dari kantong sendiri untuk asuransi kesehatan. Dalam hal ini > > orang-orang AS akan mampu lebih bermewah-mewah dibandingkan dengan > > orang-orang negara lain. > > > > Kolega saya yang asal AS menyebut sistem Medicare Australia sebagai > > "socialized medicine" dikarenakan berlaku umum dan diselenggarakan oleh > > Pemerintah. Ibu saya memegang 'Commonwealth Seniors Health Card' di mana > > tiap resep dokter hanya ditebus sekitar AU$ 6 (dulunya hanya AU$ 5). > > Sebagai contoh, penebusan resep Actonel D yang tiap bulannya harus ditebus > > sekitar Rp. 55.000,- di Australia, sementara di Indonesia obat sejenis jika > > ditebus untuk satu bulan akan menelan biaya sekurangnya Rp. 360.000,-. > > > > Australia hanya punya 4 minggu cuti yang dibayar penuh setiap tahunnya, > > tapi setelah bekerja 10 tahun, maka kami mendapat cuti panjang yang dibayar > > penuh selama 12 minggu. Kolega saya yang asal Nepal dan lulusan dari IIT > > yang paling elit dan tertua di India, pernah bekerja di Alcatel Jerman > > selama beberapa tahun. Walaupun dia dulunya seorang penduduk tetap Jerman, > > tapi akhirnya dia memutuskan pindah ke Australia mengikuti saudara iparnya. > > Dia mengaku posisi yang dipegangnya sekarang tidak setinggi seperti sewaktu > > dia masih bekerja di Jerman, tapi dia tetap menganggap kualitas hidup di > > Australia yang terbaik. > > > > Kehidupan Jerman sangat keras di mana agar bisa sukses orang haruslah > > suami-istri memiliki gelar dan akan semakin baik jika bisa memegang gelar > > doktor. Sementara para bule Australia yang dulunya kebanyakan ogah sekolah > > tinggi-tinggi, tapi pendapatan mereka besarnya menyaingi kami yang lulusan > > PT. Mereka dulunya hanya sekedar belajar pada sekolah ketrampilan macam > > TAFE. Cukup dengan belajar di TAFE mereka sudah bisa jadi tukang listrik > > dan tukang ledeng yang sekali panggil biayanya cukup aduhai. Tentu saya > > tidak pernah memanggil mereka karena alat-alat saya cukup komplit dan mampu > > mengerjakannya sendiri. Jika perlu ada kolega asal Afganistan yang siap > > memberikan sertifikasi bagi pekerjaan-pekerjaan listrik rumah yang saya > > buat. > > > > > > --- In [email protected], "Jusfiq" <kesayangan.allah@> wrote: > > > > > > > > > Dalam soal jaminan sosial (dan kesehatan) Amerika jauh ketinggalan dari > > > rata-rata negeri Eropa.. > > > > > > > > > CNN.com > > > Powered by > > > > > > Click Here to Print > > > SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close > > > > > > Why is America the 'no-vacation nation'? > > > > > > (CNN) -- Let's be blunt: If you like to take lots of vacation, the United > > > States is not the place to work. > > > > > > Besides a handful of national holidays, the typical American worker bee > > > gets two or three precious weeks off out of a whole year to relax and see > > > the world -- much less than what people in many other countries receive. > > > > > > And even that amount of vacation often comes with strings attached. > > > > > > Some U.S. companies don't like employees taking off more than one week at > > > a time. Others expect them to be on call or check their e-mail even when > > > they're lounging on the beach or taking a hike in the mountains. > > > > > > "I really would like to take a real, decent vacation and travel > > > somewhere, but it's almost impossible to take a long vacation and to be > > > out of contact," said Don Brock, a software engineer who lives in > > > suburban Washington. > > > > > > "I dream of taking a cruise or a trip to Europe, but I can't imagine > > > getting away for so long." > > > > > > The running joke at Brock's company is that a vacation just means you > > > work from somewhere else. So he takes one or two days off at a time and > > > loses some vacation each year. Only 57% of U.S. workers use up all of the > > > days they're entitled to, compared with 89% of workers in France, a > > > recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found. > > > > > > Brock's last long holiday was more than 10 years ago, when he took a > > > two-week drive across the country. > > > > > > 'Americans work like robots' > > > > > > It's a totally different story in other parts of the world. > > > > > > Nancy Schimkat, an American who lives in Weinheim, Germany, said her > > > German husband, an engineer, gets six weeks of paid vacation a year, plus > > > national holidays -- the norm. His company makes sure he takes all of it. > > > > > > It's typical for Germans to take off three consecutive weeks in August > > > when "most of the country kind of closes down," Schimkat said. That's the > > > time for big trips, perhaps to other parts of Europe, or to Australia or > > > North America. Germans might also book a ski holiday in the winter and > > > take a week off during Easter. > > > > > > Schimkat's family back in the United States teases her that she's > > > spoiled. But when she tells Germans that workers in the U.S. usually get > > > two weeks of vacation a year, they cringe. > > > > > > "They kind of have this idea that Americans work like robots and if > > > that's the way they want to be, that's up to them. But they don't want to > > > be like that," Schimkat said. > > > > > > "[Germans] work very hard, but then they take their holiday and really > > > relax. ... It's more than just making money for Germans, it's about > > > having time for your family and it's about having time to wind down." > > > > > > No legal obligation to offer vacation > > > > > > So what's going on here? > > > > > > A big reason for the difference is that paid time off is mandated by law > > > in many parts of the world. > > > > > > Germany is among more than two dozen industrialized countries -- from > > > Australia to Slovenia to Japan -- that require employers to offer four > > > weeks or more of paid vacation to their workers, according to a 2009 > > > study by the human resources consulting company Mercer. > > > > > > Finland, Brazil and France are the champs, guaranteeing six weeks of time > > > off. > > > > > > But employers in the United States are not obligated under federal law to > > > offer any paid vacation, so about a quarter of all American workers don't > > > have access to it, government figures show. > > > > > > That makes the U.S. the only advanced nation in the world that doesn't > > > guarantee its workers annual leave, according to a report titled > > > "No-Vacation Nation" by the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a > > > liberal policy group. > > > > > > Most U.S. companies, of course, do provide vacation as a way to attract > > > and retain workers. > > > > > > But the fear of layoffs and the ever-faster pace of work mean many > > > Americans are reluctant to be absent from the office -- anxious that they > > > might look like they're not committed to their job. Or they worry they > > > won't be able to cope with the backlog of work waiting for them after a > > > vacation. > > > > > > Then, there's the way we work. > > > > > > Working more makes Americans happier than Europeans, according to a study > > > published recently in the Journal of Happiness Studies. That may be > > > because Americans believe more than Europeans do that hard work is > > > associated with success, wrote Adam Okulicz-Kozaryn, the study's author > > > and an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. > > > > > > "Americans maximize their... [happiness] by working, and Europeans > > > maximize their [happiness] through leisure," he found. > > > > > > So despite research documenting the health and productivity benefits of > > > taking time off, a long vacation can be undesirable, scary, unrealistic > > > or just plain impossible for many U.S. workers. > > > > > > Little appetite for regulation > > > > > > Critics say it's time for a change. > > > > > > "There is simply no evidence that working people to death gives you a > > > competitive advantage," said John de Graaf, the national coordinator for > > > Take Back Your Time, a group that researches the effects of overwork. > > > > > > He noted that the United States came in fourth in the World Economic > > > Forum's 2010-2011 rankings of the most competitive economies, but Sweden > > > -- a country that by law offers workers five weeks of paid vacation -- > > > came in second. > > > > > > De Graaf drafted the first version of the Paid Vacation Act of 2009, > > > which would have required larger companies to provide at least one week > > > of paid annual leave to employees. But the bill, introduced by then-Rep. > > > Alan Grayson, D-Florida, in May of 2009, got little traction. > > > > > > Opponents said that it would have a negative impact on business and that > > > the government shouldn't get involved in the workplace in this way. > > > > > > "You would have had the idea that we were calling for the end of Western > > > civilization. Comments like, 'Oh, they're going to make America a > > > 21st-century France,' as if we were all going to have to eat snails," de > > > Graaf said. > > > > > > "I'm in no way anti-capitalist, I think the market does a lot of good > > > things, but the Europeans understand that the market also has its > > > failings and that when simply left completely to its own devices, it > > > doesn't produce these perfect results." > > > > > > But is more government regulation the answer? The debate rages on. > > > > > > Back in suburban Washington, Brock -- the software engineer who hasn't > > > had a long vacation for more than 10 years -- is finally planning a real > > > getaway. His 60th birthday is coming up in December, and he'd like to do > > > something special, maybe go on a cruise to the Bahamas. > > > > > > Will he be able to pull it off and get away from work? He's still not > > > entirely sure, he said. > > > > > > > > > Links referenced within this article > > > > > > are not obligated under federal law > > > http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/workhours/vacation_leave.htm > > > No-Vacation Nation > > > http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/2007-05-no-vacation-nation.pdf > > > Journal of Happiness Studies > > > http://www.springerlink.com/content/33078107768v8044/ > > > Take Back Your Time > > > http://www.timeday.org/ > > > World Economic Forum's 2010-2011 rankings > > > http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GlobalCompetitivenessReport_2010-11.pdf > > > Paid Vacation Act of 2009 > > > http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h111-2564 > > > > > > > > > Find this article at: > > > http://edition.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/05/23/vacation.in.america/index.html?hpt=Mid > > > > > > Click Here to Print > > > SAVE THIS | EMAIL THIS | Close > > > Uncheck the box to remove the list of links referenced in the article. > > > > > > > > > © 2008 Cable News Network. > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Post message: [email protected] Subscribe : [email protected] Unsubscribe : [email protected] List owner : [email protected] Homepage : http://proletar.8m.com/Yahoo! 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