Beijing: Authorities across China recently announced changes in employee health insurance, lengthening the total overall contribution period to 30 years for men and 25 years for women.
The move has sparked heated online debate, with many suggesting that repeated rounds of mass Covid testing has emptied out government healthcare coffers, leaving regular people to foot the bill, RFA reported.
When the scheme started, women in the southern province of Guangdong were paying into the scheme for a maximum of 20 years, and men for 25 years.
The longer compulsory contribution period for all employees took effect from July 1.
A resident of Wuhan surnamed Gao said he has been asked for additional contributions by his employer to make up the shortfall in minimum contributions.
“Now that the regulations have been revised, the burden on ordinary people will be heavier, whether they can afford it or not. This has a huge impact; some people have shorter working lives, and it’s simply not possible for them to contribute for 30 years,” he said.
Gao blamed the incessant rounds of mass testing for Covid, which he said has drained government coffers of more than 300 billion yuan, RFA reported.
The government is now seeking to make up the shortfall in funding with extended contributions from employees, he said.
“There must be a problem with funding; otherwise it wouldn’t skyrocket like that all of a sudden,” he said.
Guangdong-based sociologist Zhang Yang said the problem is now very serious, because not many people are in a position to pay into the system for three decades.
“Many people can’t even get work by the age of 25 nowadays. Graduates or doctors are of necessity over 30 years old (due to the length of their studies or training),” Zhang said.
“Now the government is asking people to keep paying out for 30 years, but you only pay social and medical insurance if you have a job. If you don’t have a job, you can’t pay in,” he added.
The eastern province of Shandong was the first to lengthen minimum contribution time at the end of 2021, RFA reported.
–IANS
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