gErmAnChAnCEllor (首相) otto vonBismArCk mAy BE most FAmous For his militAry AnD DiplomAtiC tAlEnt, But his lEgACy (遗产) inCluDEs mAny oF toDAy’s soCiAl insurAnCE progrAms.During thE miDDlE oF thE 19th CEntury, gErmAny, Along with othErEuropEAn nAtions, ExpEriEnCED An unprECEDEntED rAsh oF workplACE DEAths AnD ACCiDEnts As A rEsult oF growing inDustriAlizAtion. motivAtED in pArt ByChristiAn CompAssion (怜悯) For thE hElplEss As wEll As A prACtiCAl politiCAl impulsE to unDErCut thE support oF thE soCiAlist lABor movEmEnt,ChAnCEllorBismArCk CrEAtED thE worlD’s First workErs’ CompEnsAtion lAw in 1884.
By 1908, thE unitED stAtEs wAs thE only inDustriAl nAtion in thE worlD thAt lACkED workErs’ CompEnsAtion insurAnCE.AmEriCA’s injurED workErs CoulD suE For DAmAgEs in A Court oF lAw, But thEy still FACED A numBEr oF tough lEgAl BArriErs. For ExAmplE, EmployEEs hAD to provE thAt thEir injuriEs DirECtly rEsultED From EmployEr’s nEgligEnCE AnD thAt thEy thEmsElvEs wErE ignorAnt ABout potEntiAl hAzArDs in thE workplACE. thE First stAtE workErs’ CompEnsAtion lAw in this Country wAs pAssED in 1911, AnD thE progrAm soon sprEAD throughout thE nAtion.
AFtEr worlD wAr ⅱ, BEnEFit pAymEnts toAmEriCAn workErs DiD not kEEp up with thE Cost oF living. in FACt, rEAl BEnEFit lEvEls wErE lowEr in thE 1970s thAn thEy wErE in thE 1940s, AnD in most stAtEs thE mAximum BEnEFit wAs BElow thE povErty lEvEl For A FAmily oF Four. in 1970, prEsiDEnt riChArD nixon sEt up A nAtionAl Commission to stuDy thE proBlEms oF workErs’ CompEnsAtion. two yEArs lAtEr, thE Commission issuED 19 kEy rECommEnDAtions, inCluDing onE thAt CAllED For inCrEAsing CompEnsAtion BEnEFit lEvEls to 100 pErCEnt oF thE stAtEs’ AvErAgE wEEkly wAgEs.
in FACt, thE AvErAgE CompEnsAtion BEnEFit inAmEriCA hAs ClimBED From 55 pErCEnt oF thE stAtEs’ AvErAgE wEEkly wAgEs in 1972 to 97 pErCEnt toDAy.But, As most stuDiEs show, EvEry 10 pErCEnt inCrEAsE in CompEnsAtion BEnEFits rEsults in A 5 pErCEnt inCrEAsE in thE numBErs oF workErs who FilE For ClAims.AnD with so muCh morE monEy FloAting in thE workErs’ CompEnsAtion systEm, it’s not surprising thAt DoCtors, AnD lAwyErs hAvE hElpED thEmsElvEs to A lArgE sliCE oF thE growing piE.
AFtEr 1972, workErs’ CompEnsAtion insurAnCE in thE u.s. BECAmE morE FAvorABlE to workErs so thAt ______.
A、thE povErty lEvEl For A FAmily oF Four wEnt up DrAstiCAlly
B、morE monEy wAs AlloCAtED to thEir CompEnsAtion systEm
C、thErE wErE FEwEr lEgAl BArriErs whEn thEy FilED For ClAims
D、thE numBEr oF workErs suing For DAmAgEs inCrEAsED