Sickness Benefits in US Federal and State Levels

Abstract

Of all OECD countries, only Korea and the US lack a national sickness benefit scheme. In the US, there have been continued efforts at the federal level to implement sickness benefit programs, but they have repeatedly been stalled by Congress. As a result, the federal government and some states run their own sickness benefit schemes in different ways. The federal government guarantees Family and Medical Leave (12 weeks of unpaid sick leave). Also, under a federal executive order, businesses that are in contractual relationships with the federal government are required to provide their employees with up to 56 hours of paid sick leave annually. In 16 states and Washington D.C., sick leave of around 40 hours is mandated in the absence of a federal sickness benefit scheme. Additionally, nine states and Washington D.C. offer sickness benefits as part of social insurance. This article examines sickness benefit programs in the US and discusses the implications they have for Korea. For example, this article suggests that in order to implement a national sickness benefit scheme in Korea, sick workers’ right to rest must be legally guaranteed.