Health insurance
Healthcare financing and social protection policies for migrant workers in Malaysia
plos.org (09.12.2022) 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.
Japan eyes expansion of workers 'insurance scheme
Pension Policy International (April 2022) The Japanese government is reportedly discussing plans to expand the coverage of its employee pensions and health insurance programs to all workers in the country. The proposal will be initially handled by a government panel of experts on Japan’s social security system for all generations, The Japan Times reported. In June, Tokyo plans to decide on the direction for the insurance system covering all workers and have it reflected in its honebuto, or basic economic and fiscal policy guidelines.
Kenya: Universal Health Coverage allocated Sh62.3bn in new budget
Capital News (07.04.2022) The government has allocated Sh146.8 billion to cater for health care services in the 2022/2023 budget. Treasury Cabinet Secretary Ukur Yattani says the allocation will go a long way in improving the health care services in the country. “Better health care outcomes depend on the availability, accessibility and capacity of health care workers to deliver quality services anchored on well equipped and provision health care facilities,” he said. Health Care is one of the big four agenda of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration.
Extending social health protection: Accelerating progress towards Universal Health Coverage in Asia and the Pacific
ilo.org (07.12.2021) This regional report documents and analyses country experiences and lessons on the extension of social health protection coverage in the Asia and the Pacific region. It provides a detailed account of progress made, challenges encountered and remaining coverage gaps, and explores their root causes.
Universal Social Protection: A New Perspective on Social Equity in Morocco
moroccoworldnews.com (28.04.2021) On April 14, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI presided over the signing of three framework agreements to generalize obligatory health insurance for a wide range of social categories, including professionals, self-employed workers, and non-salaried individuals exercising a private activity. The historic reform will cost MAD 51 billion ($5.71 billion) annually, of which MAD 23 billion ($2.57 billion) will come from the state budget. The reform includes several objectives.
SOCIAL HEALTH INSURANCE: A guidebook for planning
This guidebook is designed to be used by planners, policy-makers and stakeholders in countries that are considering the introduction social health insurance (SHI) as a replacement for or to supplement to existing financing mechanisms for health care. This book is not meant to be an advocacy tool but a technical guide for those who are interested in the issues and techniques of SHI.
The Fight Is On to Define the Pandemic Aid Bill - The New York Times
Buying insurance through the government program known as COBRA would temporarily become a lot cheaper. COBRA, for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, generally lets someone who loses a job buy coverage via the former employer. But it’s expensive: Under normal circumstances, a person may have to pay at least 102 percent of the cost of the premium. Under the relief bill, the government would pay the entire COBRA premium from April 1 through Sept. 30. A person who qualified for new, employer-based health insurance someplace else before Sept.
Andorra: Free antigen self-test for the Christmas holidays and regulation of prices
Government of Andorra (23.12.2020) The Minister of Health, Joan Martínez Benazet, announced on Wednesday that the Government will offer a second free antigen self-test to all residents of the country over the age of 6: “it was a measure we had already planned but we needed more stock to be able to carry it out ”. In this sense, the holder of the portfolio has indicated that during this Wednesday they will be made available to the commons in the coming days so that they can distribute them with the operations that have been organized from the corporations.
France: Benefit from daily allowances and the employer supplement, without waiting period or eligibility conditions.
Afin d’inciter au maximum les personnes présentant des symptômes à rester isolées à leur domicile, elles pourront bénéficier d’indemnités journalières et du complément employeur, sans délai de carence ou de conditions d’ouverture du droit, lorsqu’elles sont testées positives à la Covid-19 ou dès lors qu’elles sont symptomatiques, dans l’attente du résultat de leur test.