First law: 1919.
Current laws: 1952, 1965,1968, 1974,1975,1978,1980, 1981, 1984, 1992 and 1995.
Type of program: Social insurance system.
Exchange rate: U.S.$1.00 equals 1,671 lire.
One euro equals 1,936.27 lire.
Employed persons (including domestic employees). Special systems for industrial managers, liberal professions, railway employees, public utilities, air transport workers, journalists, civil servants, self-employed artisans, merchants, and self-employed farmers.
Insured person: 8.89% of earnings for earnings up to 65,280,000 lire per year; 9.9% for earnings exceeding that amount.
Employer: 23.81% of payroll.
In addition, employers in certain industries pay a special contribution. Employers in certain economically distressed areas are relieved of part of contribution.
Government: Full cost of means-tested allowance and any overall deficit.
Minimum earnings for contribution purposes: 67,474 lire a day for workers in industry, or, if higher, minimum wage. Minimum wage is established by sector and by category through collective bargaining.
No maximum earnings for contribution or benefit purposes except for newly insured as of January 1, 1999: 141,991,000 lire.
Old-age pension: Divided into 3 categories:
Old-age pension:
Disability pension: Same as old-age pension plus increment based on number of years until normal pension age. Benefit reduced 25% if beneficiary earns equivalent of 4-5 times the minimum annual social security pension; reduced 50% for earnings that exceed 5 times.
Minimum pension: 709,550 lire a month.
Constant-attendance supplement: Up to 700,000 lire a month (adjusted biennially).
Disability allowance: Same as old-age pension. Payable for 3-year period. After 2 redeterminations of disability, the benefit becomes permanent.
Schedule of payments: Monthly, with a 13th payment in December.
Adjustment: Annual adjustment of pensions based on average increase in gross domestic product within the last 5 years.
Survivor pension: 75% of pension paid or accrued to insured for those with earnings of 3-4 times the annual minimum social security pension. 60% for those earnings between 4-5 times annual minimum social security pension; 50% for those earnings above 5 times annual minimum social security pension. Benefit equal to 70% if young, dependent child, student or disabled.
Maximum survivor pensions: 100% of pension of insured.
Lump sum death benefit: 43,200 lire to 129,600 lire if survivor ineligible for pension.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and Treasury, general supervision.
National Social Insurance Institute, administration of program through its branch offices; managed by tripartite governing body.
Separate institutes or funds administer special systems.
First laws: 1912 (maternity), 1927 (tuberculosis), and 1943 (sickness).
Current laws: 1950 and 1971 (maternity), 1962 (sickness), 1970 (tuberculosis), 1974, 1978 (National Health Service), 1980 and 1987 (maternity for self-employed women).
Type of program: Dual social insurance (cash benefits) and universal (medical care) systems.
Cash sickness and maternity benefits: Employed persons.
Medical benefits: All residents.
Insured person: None.
Employer: Sickness C None. Tuberculosis C 0.21% of payroll.
Government: Various subsidies, plus portion of contributions due from employers.
Cash sickness and maternity benefits: Currently covered.
Tuberculosis benefits: 1 year of contributions.
Medical benefits: No minimum qualifying period.
Sickness benefit: 50% of earnings for 1st 20 days; 66-2/3% thereafter. Payable after 3-day waiting period for up to 180 days (longer in special cases).
Tuberculosis benefit: Payable while receiving institutional care, if treated for 60 days or more, and up to 2 years after treatment at the rate of 50% of earnings beginning with the 21st day to the 180th day and at the rate 66.66 thereafter.
Maternity benefit: 80% of earnings, payable for up to 2 months before and 3 months after confinement. Additional 6 months' leave for either parent at 30% of earnings.
Medical benefits: Services provided by doctors and druggists under contract with and paid directly by National Health Service, and by hospitals, which are mostly public.
Includes general and specialist care, hospitalization, prescribed medicines, dental care, attendance of midwife or doctor at confinement, specified appliances, and spa treatment.
Tuberculosis care includes curative and convalescent care in sanatorium, post-sanatorium care, and rehabilitation.
Patient's copayment for certain prescribed medicines and hospital tests, waived for low income and the disabled. Duration: No limit.
Medical benefits for dependents: Same as for insured.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare and Ministry of Health, general supervision.
National Social Insurance Institute, administration of cash sickness and maternity benefits.
National Health Service administered by 20 regional health authorities and locally by area health authorities.
First law: 1898.
Current law: 1965.
Type of program: Social insurance system.
Manual workers, nonmanual employees in dangerous work, and self-employed in agriculture. Special system for seamen.
Insured person: None.
Employer: 0.5% to 16% of payroll, according to risk.
Average basic rate for industrial workers: 3.0%.
Government: None.
Minimum earnings for benefit purposes: 19,401,000 lire; maximum, 36,031,000 lire per year.
Work-injury benefits: No minimum qualifying period.
Temporary disability benefit: 60% of earnings for first 90 days of disability; 75% thereafter. Payable after 3-day waiting period (during which employer must pay benefit).
Permanent disability pension: 100% of earnings if totally disabled.
Constant-attendance supplement: 639,000 lire a month.
Dependents' supplements: 5% of pension for wife and each child under age 18 (26 if student, no limit if disabled).
Partial disability: If 11%-79% disabled, pension proportionate to degree of incapacity. If 80%-100% disabled, full pension.
Adjustment: Automatic adjustment of pensions annually if at least 10% change in average daily wage in industry.
Medical benefits: Medical, surgical, and hospital care, appliances, and rehabilitation.
Survivor pension: 50% of earnings of insured, payable to surviving spouse. Orphans: 20% of earnings for each orphan under age 18 or disabled, or 40% if full orphan. Parent (in absence of above): 20% of earnings for each parent.
Maximum survivor pensions: 100% of earnings of insured.
Survivor grant: Lump sum up to 2,560,000 lire, to survivors or individual who paid the funeral expenses.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, general supervision.
National Accident Insurance Institute, administration of program through provincial offices; managed by tripartite governing body.
National Health Service, general administration of medical benefits.
Separate funds administer special systems.
First law: 1919.
Current laws: 1939, 1968, 1970, 1975, 1988 and 1991.
Type of program: Compulsory insurance system.
Employees in private employment.Workers in construction also covered for special supplementary benefit.
Insured person: None.
Employer: 1.61% (industrial managers) or 1.91% (industry and commerce) of payroll. Industrial employers also pay 0.3% (0.8% in construction) of payroll for special unemployment and 2.2% of payroll (1.9% for firms with less than 50 workers) for wage supplement fund.
Government: Administrative costs plus subsidies for agricultural workers, youth employment, and wage supplement fund.
Minimum earnings for contribution purposes: 67,474 lire a day for workers in industry. No maximum.
Unemployment benefit: 2 years of coverage with 52 weeks of contribution in last 2 years. Construction workers: 43 weeks of contributions during 2 years of employment in sector.
Mobility insurance: Industrial workers with at least 1 year of insurance and 6 months of employment.
Registered at employment office, capable of and available for work.
Unemployment not due to voluntary leaving, dismissal for misconduct, or refusal of suitable offer or prescribed training (disqualification for 30 days).
Wage supplement: Partially unemployed under circumstances specified by law.
Unemployment benefit: 30% of wage, payable after 7-day waiting period. Maximum duration: 180 days.
Special benefit in construction:80% of salary for 1 to 4 years depending on worker's age and location of employing firm.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and Treasury, general supervision.
National Social Insurance Institute, administration of program through its branch offices. Also administers wage supplement fund.
Placement offices receive, investigate, and pay claims (except for mobility insurance which is paid through the National Social Insurance Institute).
First law: 1937.
Current laws: 1961,1965,1970,1974,1980,1983 and 1988 (Reform of Family Benefits Scheme).
Type of program: Employment-related system.
Employees and social insurance, welfare and unemployment beneficiaries with 1 or more children or other dependents.
Special systems for self-employed and pensioners of special systems.
Insured person: None.
Employer:2.48% of payroll.
Government: Various subsidies.
Minimum earnings for contribution purposes: 67,474 lire a day or, if higher, minimum wage.
Family allowances: Spouse dependent on insured; children must be under age 18 (no limit if disabled); brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews must be orphans or dependents under age 18, (no limit if disabled) and not eligible for survivor pension.
Separate provisions for self-employed and formerly self-employed pensioners.
Family allowances: The amount varies in relation to the size and income of the family from 20,000 to 1,869,000 lire for up to 7 children.
Supplements for larger families: 10% and 104,000 for each additional child. Income ceilings increased for single-parent families and for families with at least one totally disabled member.
Separate provisions for self-employed agricultural workers, self-employed and formerly self-employed pensioners.
Adjustment: Annual adjustment of pensions based on average increase in gross domestic product within the last 5 years.
Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, and Treasury, general supervision.
National Social Insurance Institute, administration of program through Central Family Allowances Fund.
Individual employers pay allowances directly to own employees (except in agriculture) and settle surplus or deficit of contributions due with local branch of Institute.