Word: health
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...Washington version of budget brinkmanship, the stakes range from the health of the world's largest economy and the strength of its armed forces to the fate of a college student's grant. All that and more were put at risk last week, when the capital's political gamblers -- the President and the Democratic leaders of Congress -- allowed the nation to bump up against the threat of bankruptcy...
...rewards of marriage in today's society are more than merely emotional. Among the tangible benefits available to husbands and wives are coverage under their spouses' health and pension plans, rights of inheritance and community property, the joys of joint tax returns, and claims to each other's rent- controlled apartments...
...worker's compensation comes in the form of fringe benefits, the issue is partly one of economic equity: Is it fair to provide more for a married employee than for a gay colleague who does the same work? There is also a larger moral issue. Health plans, pension programs and inheritance laws are designed to accommodate the traditional family. But nowadays, only 27% of U.S. households consist of two parents with children, down from 40% in 1970. Is the goal of encouraging traditional families therefore obsolete? Is it discriminatory? Or is it now more necessary than ever...
This difficulty in defining who qualifies is one of the problems facing those who would grant new rights to domestic partners. It is important to have criteria that are strict enough to prevent just any casual lover, roommate or friendly acquaintance in need of health insurance from cashing in. But prying into private lives and requiring proofs of emotional commitment are hardly suitable activities for government...
...addition to New York, five other cities provide bereavement leave for domestic partners: Los Angeles; Madison, Wis.; San Francisco; Seattle; and Takoma Park, Md. The only cities that currently offer health benefits to the domestic partners of employees are three in California: Berkeley, Santa Cruz and West Hollywood. State governments, which have the real authority to legislate family and marriage laws, have so far shied away from the issue. But across the country, major efforts are under way to change the laws...