Work

Policy interplay among social health insurance system, pension system, delayed retirement initiative and implications for the self‐rated health status of older workers

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: Delayed retirement initiative proposed in China attaches greater importance to the sustainability of pension systems and the labour shortage, but less to the health status of older people. The existing social health insurance and pension system are not well established to match this initiative. This study investigates the policy mix of delayed retirement, employment-based social health insurance, social pension participation for health status of older people. Results of the data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS-2018) show that late retirement could benefit health status among older adults. Moreover, such effect of late retirement appears more salient for those uninsured by employment-based social health insurance and those still in the pension contribution phase upon reaching the statutory retirement age. Hence, in countries with inadequate health insurance and pension systems, such as China, delayed retirement may serve as an important alternative to social security for the health of older people.

Source: The International Journal of Health Planning and Management

DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3738

Authors: Jiannan Li, Bocong Yuan, Kunmei Li, Longtao He

Institutions: Beijing Normal University, Zhuhai, Sun Yat-sen University, University of Hong Kong, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Nanjing University

Language: English

Topic: Retirement, Disability, and Employment

Subfield: Demography

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: Peking University, National Office for Philosophy and Social Sciences