QCOSTARICA – Owing to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social (CCSS) or Caja is not a good place to be, as it may limit one’s ability to obtain prompt medical services and debt accumulates rapidly with the addition of fines, surcharges, and interest.
Relief is on the way for independent workers may soon be available in terms of debt forgiveness by way of a bill to be discussed by the Legislative Assembly.
This Tuesday, the bill promoted by the Partido Unidad Social Cristiana (PUSC) was passed in Commission, to be sent to the house floor for first debate.
The initiative would benefit some 117,000 independent workers, according to preliminary estimates.
It is intended in this way to encourage those who have been away from Caja, to be able to contribute and thus give sustainability to the IVM and the pension scheme.
As for employers, they would only see fines, surcharges and interest waived on employee contributions to the Disability, Old Age and Death (IVM) pensions, the Sickness and Maternity Insurance (SEM) and what corresponds to the Worker Protection Law
Expanding the payer base is vital to give sustainability to the Caja’s pension regime that would be insufficient as of 2037.
Instead of taking measures that hit the worker such as raising the retirement age to 65, or lowering the amount of the pension to 45%, the Board of Directors of the CCSS should evaluate other “open door” measures, experts in the field say.
The demand from various sectors occurs at a time when the board of directors of the institution is preparing to make decisions about the economic solvency of the pension fund.
