In Reply to: Re: Observations, Questions posted by Or more likely on October 13, 2006 at 16:40:35:
Your comment about hiring a maid is funny, but you got the cost of fixing a broken leg in the U.S. way off the mark. I broke my ankle last summer. Medical insurance to date has covered at least $25K for emergency room services, X-rays, pain meds, orthopedic surgery, overnight hospital stay, anesthesa, prosthetics (like surgical plates, pins, screws, walking casts, braces, crutches etc.), and physical therapy. There's also 6 weeks of disability where I couldn't do anything but lay on my back with my leg in the air.
Out-of-pocket expenses have been about $1,500, and I won't to be working for The Man as a waitress or a maid again in this lifetime. I have a keen sense of how vulnerable I truly am as a labor market slave.
I liked the comments further up the thread comparing Torah law for slaves to contemporary labor laws and social safety nets, like workers' compensation insurance.