Greeks’ access to healthcare to get harder
The number of days of declared labor required for the provision of social security (i.e. healthcare services) to salary workers by the Single Social Security Entity (EFKA) will be raised from 50 to 75 per year from 2019, according to an amendment tabled by the Labor Ministry in Parliament on Wednesday.
The draft amendment also proposes an increase to the required number of months of insurance for non-salary workers, from two to three per year, for the same purpose, provided that they do not have any contribution debts after 2017. This means the self-employed will still enjoy healthcare services with three months of work per year, even if they have debts to their funds dating from 2016 or earlier, a shift that experts see as easing the pressure on this category of workers.
The aim of the proposed amendment is to introduce the same criteria for social security qualification for all members of the funds that have been incorporated into EFKA. The year in social security terms starts from March 1 and ends on February 28.
The increase to the days of work required for healthcare services is expected to create significant problems, especially for salary workers who are occasionally employed, as they will find it even harder to fulfill the new requirements.
