Some pensioners face more healthcare deductions

The Labor Ministry has sent a circular to all social security funds to inform them that 6 percent of all the pensions that a retiree might receive, and not just the main one, should go toward their healthcare.

This means that anyone receiving more than one pension will pay 6 percent of the total they receive each month as healthcare contributions, rather than just 6 percent of their main pension only. The circular added that the measure is retroactive, meaning that it is deemed to apply from July 1. Many Greek pensioners receive supplementary payments from social security funds tied to particular professions, such as engineering, on top of their regular state pension.

Those who until recently received the supplementary monthly EKAS payment for low-income pensioners are exempt from paying the 6 percent contribution. (EKAS was scrapped as part of the measures voted through Parliament earlier this year ahead of the conclusion of the first review of Greece’s third bailout.) Nevertheless, thousands of pensioners are due to be affected by the measure. Its impact on their monthly retirement pay will be visible at the end of August, when the latest deductions will have been made.