Spanish Social Security System

Spanish Social Security System

Spain provides an extensive social security system covering more than 90% of the population.

The system provides benefits for health care (illness as well as maternity); industrial injuries; redundancy, old age, invalidity as well as death benefits.

Social security benefits in Spain tend to be some of the highest within the European union, as are the contributions. The entire contributions for each worker usually are typically close to 30% of gross pay, some 25% of which is paid for by employers. With the exclusion of sickness benefits, social security benefits aren't taxed.

Two thirds of social security spending is on cash benefits such as pensions (old age, handicapped, orphans and widows), sickness and housing benefits, distributed through the Instituto Nacional de Seguridad Social (INSS).

The Instituto Nacional de Empleo (INEM) distributes unemployment benefits.

Less than a third of revenue is spent on health services, administered through the regional health services and social services, which are the responsibility of the Instituto de Migraciones y Servicios Sociales (Imserso).

Spain has a separate system for members of the civil service and the military, and special schemes for farm workers, the self-employed, domestic servants and other groups.

The Spanish Social Security system has been under severe financial strains. An ageing population and increasing unemployment have contributed to a huge increases in spending on healthcare, pensions and unemployment benefits, although there have been cutbacks in government spending in recent years. Most experts agree that the current levels of benefits (in particular pensions) are unsustainable and payments must be reduced if the system is not to be bankrupted.

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