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This report was prepared at the request of the Philippines Social Security System (SSS) to analyze key challenges and propose reform options to improve the sustainability and expand the coverage of old age income protection for private sector workers. A simulation employing the Pension Reform Options Simulation Toolkit (PROST) found that the SSS scheme will face outflows greater than inflows in about 20 years and depletion of its assets in about 28 years. Fortunately, its medium-term financing issues can be addressed through the gradual introduction of parametric reforms that shield workers and retirees from abrupt changes in contributions and benefits. At the same time, the Philippines faces a challenge to improve the defacto coverage of workers by Social Security, and to increase the income protection coverage of the elderly. Options suggested include SSS measures to leverage its identification system and introduce a special instrument for informal workers. Rather than introducing matching contribution subsidies to expand coverage, it was suggested to broaden the scope of beneficiaries eligible for social pensions. Beyond the scope of the SSS, additional measures were suggested including those to improve the access and efficiency of contributions and payments systems, strengthening mobile-money platforms and efforts to improve access to savings instruments, particularly for small and isolated savers. The report points out that the key means of improving coverage lies beyond the scope of social security or pensions, namely, to improve the quantity and quality of wage-based employment.

Aging Population --- Annuities --- Contribution Rates --- Demographics --- Fertility --- Health --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Income Support For Old Age --- Inequality --- Informal Sector --- Labor Markets --- Life Expectancy --- Life Insurance --- Mortality --- Pension Plans --- Pension Reform --- Pensions & Retirement Systems --- Poverty Reduction --- Retirement --- Social Insurance --- Social Protection and Risk Management --- Social Protections and Labor --- Social Security System

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Thailand has succeeded in expanding coverage of publicly-funded and publicly-managed health insurance schemes, following the introduction of universal health coverage policy in 2001. While Thailand's achievement of universal health coverage (UC) is well noted, recent researches and studies have indicated that there are still gaps in health utilization and financial protection. A recent study by Thailand's health insurance system research office (HISRO) shows that utilization of health services by patients of three main health insurance schemes combined increased markedly after age 45 for both outpatient care and in-patient care but later dropped during an advanced age. Utilization of out-patient care services decreases among patients who are over 75 years of age while that of in-patient care services decreases after 85 years of age. The objective of the study is to identify the gaps of accessing UC scheme's care system by the elderly population, focusing on utilization and financial protection aspects. The team conducted small-scale area-based qualitative case studies, focusing on elderly UC members who live in selected urban and rural areas in four different geographical regions of Thailand - Central, North, Northeastern, and South. The analysis confirms that there are poor elderly people who still need to pay for the costs of out-patient and in-patient care services at publicly run health facilities.

Access to Health Services --- Cancer --- Chemotherapy --- Children --- Cities --- Communicable Diseases --- Communities --- Disability Survivorship --- Doctors --- Drugs --- Employment --- Equity --- Expenditures --- Females --- Gender --- Health --- Health Care Costs --- Health Education --- Health Insurance --- Health Law --- Health Monitoring & Evaluation --- Health Professionals --- Health Systems Development & Reform --- Health, Nutrition and Population --- Hospitals --- Household Income --- Income Support For Old Age --- Insurance --- Knowledge --- Law and Development --- Long-Term Care --- Mobility --- Nurses --- Population --- Population Policies --- Poverty --- Public Health --- Public Hospitals --- Research Methods --- Social Protection and Risk Managemen --- Social Protection and Risk Management --- Social Safety Nets/Social Assistance --- Surgery --- Urban Areas --- Workers