Idryma Kinonikon Asfaliseon
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The Idryma Kinonikon Asfaliseon , Greek Ίδρυμα Κοινωνικών Ασφαλίσεων , abbreviated IKA , is the carrier of the statutory social insurance for employees in Greece . The correct and complete name is now IKA-ETAM ( Greek Ιδρυμα Κοινωνικών Ασφαλίσεων - Ενιαίω Ταμείο Ασφάλισης Μισθωτών , dt. "Institution for social insurance - unitary fund for wage earners"). It was founded in 1934. Seat is in Athens .
meaning
Today IKA is the largest insurance company in the country. It grants insurance coverage to around 6 million directly or indirectly (through their family members) insured persons and grants pensions to almost one million citizens.
The IKA insures employees who are employed in Greece or abroad with an employer based in Greece, but also those who do personal work based on a contract for work in their main or part-time occupation, for which they are not covered by any other general insurance company are insured. In addition, the IKA also insures various groups of people who do not have a permanent employer and whose insurance is provided by their associations or insurance cooperatives (loaders, newspaper sellers, butchers, etc.) or groups of people who are covered by special regulations (private nurses). There is a statutory compulsory insurance for employees. The employer has to pay the contributions to the insurance company.
Services
In health insurance, insurance cover is generally used through the granting of benefits in kind, i.e. through treatment in public hospitals, private contract clinics and IKA-ETAM hospitals. In urban areas, insured persons can choose their general practitioner from a list, whereas in rural areas there is no free choice of doctor; the insured person has to consult the locally responsible doctor of the insurance company.
The treatment is free of charge. This also applies to dental treatments and examinations in the laboratories of the IKA. The IKA also bears the costs for prostheses, medical aids such as pacemakers, hearing aids, wheelchairs and contact lenses if the necessity is proven by a medical certificate from the attending physician. Patients only have to pay 25% of the price for prescription drugs.
In the event of illness, sickness benefits are paid for up to two years, depending on the duration of the insurance. Other benefits granted by IKA-ETAM are birth grants, maternity benefits, disability pensions, old-age pensions, survivors' pensions, and injury benefits in the event of accidents. In contrast, the IKA is not responsible for unemployment insurance and child benefit, but the OAED labor administration.
Financial condition
The IKA suffers from chronic financial difficulties. In 2009 it had to be supported by the state with 2.6 billion euros. However, press reports that describe the IKA as a “black hole” which is about to collapse are denied.
A large number of pension frauds that were uncovered in 2011 are seen as one of the causes of the financial situation: After it was discovered that pensions are being transferred to over 9,000 pensioners over the age of 100, all pensioners had to report for personal identification. This revealed that 63,500 - some of them long ago - had died and around 7 to 8 billion euros had been paid to relatives of the deceased in the last ten years. In addition, the Greek pension funds suffered heavy losses from the haircut implemented to cope with the financial crisis, as they had invested around 8 billion euros in contributions in Greek government bonds. Because of the financial crisis, the Greek state has also frozen grants to hospitals and insurance companies. In the meantime, unpaid bills of around two billion euros have accumulated, so that suppliers only deliver to state clinics against payment in advance and pharmacies only dispense pharmaceuticals against cash payment.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ IKA website (Greek)
- ↑ a b c d EU leaflet (PDF; 536 kB)
- ↑ Medical Tribune: Georg Müller: Comparison Greece - Germany ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b FAZ of October 31, 2011: "Eight billion euros for dead pensioners"
- ↑ Spiegel from February 2nd, 2012: "Greece stops payments to 63,500 phantom pensioners"
- ↑ Tagesspiegel from June 11, 2012: "Greece's doctors are working at the limit"
