Social Security Schemes Research Articles

An Comparative Study of Pre and Post Health Insurance Schemes in Karnataka

The health insurance schemes are very necessary to everyone in Indian country are with regards improve their life styles and which is including for very essential for every one for improving their health and some of strategies to improve the own insurance companies potential even insurance companies are majorly help to the employees their health and family members. Insurance Corporation is a sector of Health Insurance that has emerged as a major growth driver and as the most prominent segment in the expansion of insurance space. The study highlighted that health insurance and health insurance schemes are one of the largest Social Security Schemes of the world where no upper limit on medical expenditure has been fixed for beneficiaries. The study was made on the overview of health insurance Corporation of India and tries to bring out the banking details of provisions available to customer and persons and their dependents both in and banking facilities under the Employees of Karnataka state.

A study on assessment of socio-demographic characteristics and pattern of health-care support among geriatric people residing in old age homes, Nandyal

Background: Geriatric age is one of the vulnerable phases of life. Geriatric population in India is faster growing share of population with more special needs for health-care and support. Objective was to study the socio-demographic factors and assess pattern of health care support among geriatrics residing in old age homes, Nandyal.Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among geriatric people aged more than 60 years residing in old age homes, Nandyal from October 15, 2019, to December 15, 2019. One hundred eighty participants were included. Those who were not present during the analysis were excluded from the class using convenience sampling. Data was collected using a pre-designed, pre-tested, semi-structured questionnaire and analysing data using SPSS version-22.Results: Around 180 subjects, 76 (42%) of the elderly received treatment for their morbidities from private clinic and hospitals, while 37.8% from government hospitals. Children bear health care expenses for 32 (17.5%) of the elderly. Among 84 (46.7%) of elderly dependent on their social security schemes. while 30 (16%) had health insurance. Around 72 (40%) of elderly financially dependent on their children. Major complaints are Arthritis (47.7%) followed by hypertension (20%) and acid-peptic disease.Conclusions: A high prevalence of arthritis, hypertension and acid peptic disease were identified. It also highlighted that economic independence and the use of social security schemes among elderly is less. Based on these findings recommended that there is a need to develop financial assistance and social security schemes are needed to enhance health care facilities, economic independence and utilization services.

Hunger and food security in the times of Covid-19.

This paper discusses the situation of hunger and malnutrition in India during the times of the Covid-19, the associated lockdown and the aftermath. The economic slowdown and loss of employment have resulted in widespread food insecurity. There are also concerns that this might have long-lasting effects on the nutrition status of the population. In this context, government support through schemes such as the PDS plays an important role. While there have been some interventions through these schemes towards providing food and cash support to people, there are many gaps. The availability of high food stocks can be used as an opportunity to provide a universal PDS which is the need of the hour. Other issues such as expanding the PDS to include pulses and oils, decentralised procurement, universal food support through school meals and ICDS, and enhanced cash transfers through social security schemes also need to be ensured.

IDENTIFICATION OF THE MINIMUM LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE ON SOCIAL INSURANCE

The Polish social insurance system is a part of the social security scheme. The Constitution of the Republic of Poland imposes on the state an obligation to create such system and to fulfill social security guarantees for every citizen. Participation in the social insurance system, and thus insurance coverage in the field of the consequences of social risks, is strictly dependent on the fact of performing a gainful activity on the principles set out in the social insurance act (among others: work under a contract of employment or under a civil law contract and conducting business). The legality of employment and the employer fairness on the one hand, and the effectiveness of control authorities of state institutions on the other hand, are two driving engines of the insurance guarantee. Responsibility for providing such insurance protection lies between the institutional activities of the state and the individual foresight of the citizen. It is on his/her side that knowledge about social insurance plays a very important role as an element of risk awareness. The act on the social insurance system imposes on the Polish executive institution in the area of social insurance (the Polish social insurance institution, ZUS) the obligation to popularize this knowledge. The purpose of the article is the attempt to indicate the scope of a minimum knowledge of social insurance, which will allow a citizen to make a conscious participation in the system, i.e. effective protection against the results of the possible risks.

National trends in the prevalence of diabetic retinopathy among Thai patients with type 2 diabetes and its associated factors from 2014 to 2018.

IntroductionDiabetic retinopathy (DR) is one of the most common and serious ocular complications in both developed and developing countries. To date, epidemiological data of DR and their associated factors in Southeast Asian countries especially in Thailand are scarce. We aimed to use the information from the Thailand Diabetes Mellitus/Hypertension (DM/HT) study to determine trends in DR prevalence and also risk factors among Thai patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D).MethodsA series of cross-sectional surveys of clinical outcomes was conducted annually in 2014, 2015 and 2018 among patients with T2D aged >18 years receiving medical care for at least 12 months. A stratified single stage cluster sampling method that was proportional to the size sampling technique was used to select a nationally and provincially representative sample of patients with T2D in Thailand. A standardized case report form was used to obtain the required information from medical records.ResultsA total of 104,472 Thai patients with T2D were included in the study from 2014 to 2018. The dominant proportion of participants, 70,756 (67.7%), were females. The overall prevalence of DR declined from 6.9% in 2014 to 6.3% in 2015 and 5.0% in 2018 (p for trend <0.001). The independent associated factors with DR included survey year, greater duration of DM, geographic region, hospital level, social security scheme, dyslipidemia, insulin therapy, high HbA1c level and elevated pulse pressure.ConclusionWe reported a decreasing in trend in the prevalence of DR among Thai patients with T2D over one half decade. Patients with T2D should be encouraged to control their underlying diseases and engage in other effective interventions. When these modifiable risk factors can be inhibited, DR and other cardiovascular complications will be alleviated.

Social Security Schemes and the Application of EU State Aid Law

Social Security Schemes and the Application of EU State Aid Law

The Pattern of Morbidity and Use of Social Security Schemes among the Steel Plant Workers in an Industrial District of Odisha.

Background:An occupational hazard is a growing concern for developing countries. The study aims to assess the pattern and the factors associated with morbidity of the steel plant workers and the usage of social security schemes among them.Materials and Methods:The cross-sectional study was conducted in two steel plants of the Angul district of central Odisha from May to August 2019. The steel plant workers were assessed for occupational hazard using a structured questionnaire and a physical examination was conducted. Chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used to find out the association.Results:Dust was the most common exposure followed by noise and heat. Myopia (26.7%), generalized weakness (19.0%), hearing impairment (19.0%), respiratory illness (15.9%), hypertension (11.0%), myalgia (10.2%), and peripheral neuropathy (9.1%) were the common morbidities among the steel plant workers. Exposure to dust, noise, vibration, chemicals, and year of exposure is the common determinants of morbidities. Only 63.5% of the study participants availed of different social-security schemes.Conclusions:Pre-placement examination, regular medical check-ups, and the use of proper safety measures during work can reduce the chance of morbidities. Authorities need to sensitize the workers to safety equipment and hazard-prone conditions and also regarding social-security schemes.

From ‘Table 29’ to the Actuarial Balance Sheet: Is It Really That Big a Leap?

EU regulations since 2017 have required all Member States to disclose their accrued-to-date pension liabilities (ADL) using a standard actuarial cost method and some common assumptions. This applies to both Social Security (SS) schemes and unfunded defined benefit (DB) schemes covering civil servants. These pension liabilities have to be disclosed in a supplementary table referred to as Table 29. An actuarial balance sheet (ABS) can be defined as a financial statement that lists a pension system's obligations to contributors and pensioners at a particular date, together with the amounts of the assets (financial and in particular those from contributions) that underwrite those commitments. The ABS can be used to assess the solvency of SS schemes, whereas Table 29 cannot. This paper develops a methodology to (easily) transform Table 29 into an ABS and compile its associated income statement (IS). To enable policymakers to better understand how the model would function, the paper also contains a country case study based on data from the most recently published Table 29 for Spain. According to our best estimate assumptions, it can be said that the Spanish pension system is partially insolvent because only part of the pension entitlements is backed up by assets, and that the system's sustainability has markedly deteriorated over the period 2015-2018.

The Debt Capacity of a Government

In a deterministic overlapping-generations economy with production and physical capital, the price of debt can be positive without any budget surpluses being in the offing, because debt incorporates a rational bubble. Yet the dynamics of debt remain a function of the dynamics of the primary budget deficit. As a way to study their joint behavior, we endogenize a structural deficit in the form of an underfunded social-security scheme. We define debt capacity as the level of debt that can be just sustained without a change of policy all the way to an unstable steady state. When it starts below the capacity, the debt converges to a stable steady state, in which the bubble is sustained. Above capacity the bubble unravels and the deficit cannot be financed. In several realistic scenarios occurring in economies, we calculate the needed policy response, which is the true fiscal cost of exceeding debt capacity.

Social Security Schemes and Standard of Living: A Causal Study on Informal Workers in India

Social Security Schemes and Standard of Living: A Causal Study on Informal Workers in India

Healthcare financing and social protection policies for migrant workers in Malaysia.

For Malaysia, a nation highly dependent on migrant labour, the large non-citizen workforce presents a unique health system challenge. Although documented migrant workers are covered by mandatory healthcare insurance (SPIKPA), financial constraints remain a major barrier for non-citizen healthcare access. Malaysia recently extended protection for migrant workers under the national social security scheme (SOCSO), previously exclusive to citizens. This study aims to evaluate healthcare financing and social security policies for migrant workers to identify policy gaps and opportunities for intervention. A total of 37 in-depth interviews were conducted of 44 stakeholders from July 2018 to July 2019. A mixed-methods analysis combining major themes from qualitative interviews with policy document reviews was conducted. Descriptive analysis of publicly available secondary data, namely revenues collected at government healthcare facilities, was conducted to contextualise the policy review and qualitative findings. We found that migrant workers and employers were unaware of SPIKPA enrolment and entitlements. Higher fees for non-citizens result in delayed care-seeking. While the Malaysian government nearly doubled non-citizen healthcare fees revenues from RM 104 to 182 million (USD 26 to 45 million) between 2014 to 2018, outstanding revenues tripled from RM 16 to 50 million (USD 4 to 12 million) in the same period. SPIKPA coverage is likely inadequate in providing financial risk protection to migrant workers, especially with increased non-citizens fees at public hospitals. Undocumented workers and other migrant populations excluded from SPIKPA contribution to unpaid fees revenues are unknown. Problems described with the previous Foreign Workers Compensation Scheme (FWCS), could be partially addressed by SOCSO, in theory. Nevertheless, questions remain on the feasibility of implementing elements of SOCSO, such as recurring payments to workers and next-of-kin overseas. Malaysia is moving towards migrant inclusion with the provision of SOCSO for documented migrant workers, but more needs to be done. Here we suggest the expansion of the SPIKPA insurance scheme to include all migrant populations, while broadening its scope towards more comprehensive coverage, including essential primary care.

Investigating CSR Practices of LIC of India During Pre- and Post-IRDAI’s Compliance, 2013

In modern times, corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a focus of attention before organisations. The present study purports the critical evaluation of Life Insurance Corporation (LIC) of India pertaining to the CSR activities during the period under the study. The present study includes secondary data through annual reports of the LIC of India from 2010 to 2018. In order to test the hypotheses of the present study, the paired t-test has been applied. The findings of the study reveal that LIC of India has covered around 60 million lives and settled more than 150,000 claims under the group and social security schemes in the year 2017–2018, which is a milestone in the insurance arena. In the year 2017–2018, more than ₹400,000 million had been invested by LIC of India in the social sector, which is a strong indicator of interest of the organisation towards social responsibility. It is also evidenced through this study that there is no significant difference between pre- and post-IRDAI’s compliance, 2013 pertaining to CSR practices of LIC of India.

Impact of COVID-19 on Nepali Migrant Workers and Social Safety Schemes at Destination

The Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has had an enormous impact on Nepali migrant workers. By 15 September 2020, altogether 63,347 people returned home via rescue flights coordinated by the Government of Nepal. It is estimated that about 200,000 Nepalese are waiting to be repatriated. This article first examines the status of, and challenges and vulnerabilities faced by, Nepali migrant workers in the context of COVID-19. It then highlights the social security schemes offered by different countries of destination for the migrant workers. Key finding suggests that most of the migrant workers had low educational backgrounds. They had experienced changes in working hours after COVID-19. Although different safety measures were adopted at the workplace, they were largely insufficient, while on the other hand, the local residents in the destination countries treated the migrants negatively. Moreover, the destination countries were found to be giving less attention towards the social security schemes for the migrant workers.

The complex social security provisions of the Brexit withdrawal agreement, to be implemented for decades

This article analyses the provisions in the withdrawal agreement regarding the coordination of the social security schemes of the United Kingdom and the Member States after Brexit. The UK’s withdrawal from the EU raises numerous questions about the consequences for the social security rights, including access to health care, of persons who find themselves in a cross-border situation between the UK and the EU27. The detailed provisions in the agreement concern, in the first place, the arrangements during the transition period, which ends on 31 December 2020. They also establish the rights of persons who are in a cross-border situation between the UK and a Member State at the end of this transition period. Furthermore, the agreement includes rules for persons who have been in such a situation in the past. These provisions are formulated in a complicated manner and will undoubtedly give rise to problems of interpretation and implementation for many decades to come. This article tries to clarify the basic content of this part of the withdrawal agreement, including the arrangements on administrative cooperation, monitoring and enforcement.

Deep Reinforced Learning Enables Solving Discrete-Choice Life Cycle Models to Analyze Social Security Reforms

Discrete-choice life cycle models can be used to, e.g., estimate how social security reforms change employment rate. Optimal employment choices during the life course of an individual can be solved in the framework of life cycle models. This enables estimating how a social security reform influences employment rate. Mostly, life cycle models have been solved with dynamic programming, which is not feasible when the state space is large, as often is the case in a realistic life cycle model. Solving such life cycle models requires the use of approximate methods, such as reinforced learning algorithms. We compare how well a deep reinforced learning algorithm ACKTR and dynamic programming solve a relatively simple life cycle model. We find that the average utility is almost the same in both algorithms, however, the details of the best policies found with different algorithms differ to a degree. In the baseline model representing the current Finnish social security scheme, we find that reinforced learning yields essentially as good results as dynamics programming. We then analyze a straight-forward social security reform and find that the employment changes due to the reform are almost the same. Our results suggest that reinforced learning algorithms are of significant value in analyzing complex life cycle models.

The practice of social security in black Africa; a shadow of the real concept: The Cameroonian transcript

Social security is a corner stone for the socio-economic and even political development of many countries in the world today. Developed countries like Germany, Britain and many western countries have developed and made use of theories propounded by founders of the concept of social security like Otto von Bismarck and Lord Beveridge to develop their societies. But the unfortunate thing is that all along their stay in Africa, these colonial powers did not border to institute and impregnate Africans with the concept, thus, living Africans completely ignorant of the concept of social security. Studies have proven that the application of this concept in Africa, especially south of the Sahara is still a nightmare. Africans are unable to put into place a veritable social security scheme, yet most of them aspire to emerge by 2035. With the example of Cameroon, the causes of this failure are attributed to the colonial masters and poor governance in post-colonial Africa. As a remedy to this situation, results of this research demand that African governments must show prove of good governance and elaborate an inclusive social protection scheme. Besides, specialize United Nations agencies like the International Labour organization (ILO) and the Human Rights Commission must stand by these countries with their technical knowhow to help develop a meaningful social protection scheme in Africa. As an alert to those countries warming up for emergence, it is an illusion if the welfare of these people is not put at the center of every development action.

COVID-19 implications on household income and food security in Kenya and Uganda: Findings from a rapid assessment.

This study assessed implications of the Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic on household income and food security in two East African countries - Kenya and Uganda, using online survey data from 442 respondents. Results show that more than two-thirds of the respondents experienced income shocks due to the COVID-19 crisis. Food security and dietary quality worsened, as measured by the food insecurity experience scale and the frequency of consumption of nutritionally-rich foods. The proportion of food insecure respondents increased by 38% and 44% in Kenya and Uganda respectively, and in both countries, the regular consumption of fruits decreased by about 30% during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared to a normal period (before the pandemic). Results from probit regressions show that the income-poor households and those dependent on labour income were more vulnerable to income shock, and had poorer food consumption during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other respondent categories. As such, they were more likely to employ food-based coping strategies compared to those pursuing alternative livelihoods, who generally relied on savings. Farmers were less likely to experience worsened food security compared to other respondent categories who depended to a great extent on market sources for food. In both countries, participation in national social security schemes was less likely to mitigate respondents' income shock during the COVID-19 period. Conversely, membership in savings and loan groups was correlated with less likelihood of suffering income shocks and reduction in food consumption. The results suggest that ongoing and future government responses should focus on structural changes in social security by developing responsive packages to cushion members pushed into poverty by such pandemics while building strong financial institutions to support the recovery of businesses in the medium term, and ensuring the resilience of food supply chains particularly those making available nutrient-dense foods.

Anatomy of social security contribution evasion in Italy

This work presents an estimate of social security contribution evasion (SSCE) for different job categories and job sectors in Italy, among 1995 and 2016. The evasion is computed as share of the work-force that did not pay social security contribution, not as monetary evasion. The author finds a stationary trend in the size of the SSCE over time, and some significative differences in the different sectors and in the different Italian regions. The average SSCE for Italy in the 1995-2016 period is 0.149, an evasion of around 15 percent of the workforce in the social security contributions of a representative sample of Italian population, calculated on over 26,000 observations. SSCE is a well-known issue all around the world. It is a highly sensitive topic, and it is been suggested that given the aging of the population and the increasing flexibility of the work, its importance is going to increase. It is particularly interesting in a country such as Italy, where there is a huge underground economy that affects the country. Even though economists have studied the determinant and the effect of tax evasion (Allingham and Sandmo, 1972) since half a century, very few works have specifically focused on the implication of contribution evasion for social security schemes (Bailey, 2001; McGillivray, 2002) and on the determinants of contribution evasion (Bailey, 1997), especially with a quantitative approach. This work aims to contribute to the literature on SSCE, which has his own specificities that makes it different from tax evasion, offering a series of descriptive statistics on SSCE in Italy in the last twenty years. The two main goals of this study are to estimate SSCE in Italy for the different job categories, in different work sectors and in all the Italian regions between 1995 and 2016 and to provide some insights about the main causes of SSCE. In a nutshell, the findings of the author show that the highest SSCE is among self-employed and temporary worker active in the household services, building and agriculture sectors. Instead for the geographical distribution concerns, Southern Italian regions register a higher SSCE than Centre and North of Italy. The trend over the period 1998-2016 of SSC evasion is pretty much stable, while there is a gap with the 1995 estimate.

Gender Differentials in One-Person Households among Older Adults in India: Evidence from the National Family Health Survey 2015–2016

The present study analyses various aspects of one-person households (OPH) among older adults from multiple socioeconomic backgrounds in India. The study utilizes data from the National Family Health Survey conducted in 2015–2016 (N = 146,657), and employs bivariate and binary logistic regression analysis to carve out the results. The percent OPH among older adults in India was 7.4% (2.4% men and 28% women). In terms of gender differentials, it was found that older women were more likely to stay in OPH than older men. The interaction of marital status with gender and place of residence together revealed that married women in rural areas were significantly more likely to stay in OPH than widowed men in urban areas. There is an urgent need to strengthen the social security scheme for older adults in OPH in India, especially in the southern part of the country, where the prevalence of OPH is the highest.

Status wspólnika spółki handlowej jako tytuł ubezpieczenia społecznego

Opracowanie podejmuje zagadnienie statusu wspólników spółek handlowych w aspekcie obowiązku ubezpieczenia społecznego. Analiza ta wykazuje brak spójnej koncepcji ustawodaw-czej. Skorygowania wymaga podmiotowy zasięg obowiązku ubezpieczenia wspólników niektó-rych spółek osobowych — spółki komandytowej i spółki komandytowo-akcyjnej. Ponadto status wspólnika jako tytuł ubezpieczenia społecznego nie jest powiązany z prowadzeniem przez spółkę działalności gospodarczej. W przypadku wspólników spółek kapitałowych ubezpieczenie społecz-ne powinno być natomiast wyjątkiem od reguły nieubezpieczenia. Ubezpieczeniu społecznemu nie powinien podlegać kapitał, lecz praca lub działalność zarobkowa.