In the Americas, diverse long-term care (LTC) systems reflect varying regional needs and capabilities. This article examines LTC systems in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica and Uruguay providing a detailed description of health and social care services available to their aging populations.
Quality of service has been a constant commitment of social security institutions, knowing that user satisfaction shapes citizens' perception, experience and trust in public services. This article shows how institutions have implemented approaches outlined in the ISSA Guidelines on Service Quality and highlights the importance of providing quality services that are user-centred to generate greater value for members.
Ensuring adequate social security coverage for an ageing population is an important priority for governments and the global membership of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). Social pensions, also known as zero pillar or non-contributory pensions, complement contributory social insurance systems by providing a guaranteed source of income for people not adequately protected by other forms of social security. In doing so, they expand overall social protection and can be a powerful tool for combating old-age poverty, promoting social inclusion, and mitigating the impacts of labour market inequalities.
Communication plays an essential role in social security institutions so that members and beneficiaries have access to the information necessary to exercise their rights and fulfil their obligations through the services provided, as well as developing a social security culture. This article presents experiences of multi-channel communication strategies implemented by social security institutions in the Americas, which strengthened existing communication channels and developed new digital channels.
Over 460 social security leaders, experts and professionals gathered for the Regional Social Security Forum for the America (RSSF Americas) in San José, Costa Rica. The knowledge shared and discussions held there will help bring improvements in social security on the continent in the years to come.
DATAPREV – Social Security Information and Technology Enterprise from Brazil has been awarded the Good Practice Award for the Americas 2023 for its “Emergency Aid” during the COVID-19 pandemic, which reached 118 million people.
Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems
The first ever Special Distinction for Innovation in the Good Practice Award for the Americas competition was awarded to the Salvadoran Social Security Institute (Instituto Salvadoreño del Seguro Social – ISSS) for the good practice “Dr ISSS online: A new telemedicine care model”.
In connection with the Regional Social Security Forum for the Americas, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) has published a report on how social security is developing in the region. Digitalization, resilience and a life-course approach to social security are some key elements.
A sizeable portion of the work force in the Americas engages in the platform economy, whether as a main or supplementary source of income. This article presents reforms and developments in the region that already have had, or that may have, an impact on the employment status and social protection of platform workers.
Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems
Institutional resilience and the need to maintain operational continuity are concepts widely recognised in social security as the main indispensable characteristics for providing services to the population in the event of natural disasters or unforeseen catastrophic events. This has manifested itself over the years in efforts to strengthen processes, infrastructure and the resources that institutions have available to cope with different crises.
Human Resource Management in Social Security Administration
There is no single strategy towards digital transformation in social security institutions. This article shows how, through different approaches, institutions in the Americas have been able to move from an initial digitization of processes and services to a broader and more agile strategy of digital transformation, breaking paradigms and operating models.
Social security systems are increasingly interconnected – across different agencies within the sector, with organizations in other sectors and with systems in other countries. Furthermore, in complex environments, even within the same institution, different organizational units are becoming progressively specialized, autonomous, or geographically focused. As a result, the strategic and operational activities in which social security institutions are engaged often require the involvement and coordination of multiple actors working at different levels to achieve effective results.
The Pension Standardization Office (Oficina de Normalización Previsional – ONP) has taken over as host organization for the ISSA Liaison Office for the Andean Countries.
Human Resource Management in Social Security Administration
Continuity and Resilience of Social Security Services and Systems
As we approach the end of 2022, it is time to look back not only at a busy year, but also the closing of a very productive triennium full of innovations.
Contribution collection and compliance plays a fundamental role in social security as it helps to ensure the sustainability of social security systems and promotes a higher level of coverage among workers. As the ISSA Guidelines on Contribution Collection and Compliance (ISSA, 2019) put it, “The timely and full payment of contributions by and on behalf of insured persons is necessary if they are to achieve the benefits to which they are legally entitled”.
The Virtual Social Security Forum for the Americas saw a record of over 1,000 registered participants. As a result, it became the most attended virtual event of the International Social Security Association (ISSA) to date, offering rich exchanges between social security institutions and
In the Americas, as in the rest of the world, social security is a powerful instrument through which the public feels the presence of government. The quality of the social security experience is an important gauge of public satisfaction with government and political leadership; administrators thus have a compelling reason to strive for excellence in the administration of social security programmes.
The Americas region has entered a new era of service and improved management, one that successfully blends human skills and the innovative and enabling capacities of digital technologies, according to the new study by the International Social Security Association (ISSA) – Evolving management
Extending and maintaining social security coverage stands out as a perennial challenge for social security administrations in the Americas. The rapidly evolving needs of different population groups, especially children, women and the elderly, as well as economic and sociopolitical changes and demographic and technological transitions, have brought about societal transformations with an ever-increasing number of people in need of social security protection.
Economic growth in the Americas in recent years has led to a significant extension of social security coverage. This is borne out by the region now having coverage levels above the global average.
The COVID-19 crisis has forced countries across the Americas to take unprecedented steps to protect their populations, chiefly in the fields of public health and social security. In particular, States have developed a wide range of policies designed to safeguard their citizens against lost income when lockdown measures have made it impossible for them to carry out their productive economic activities. Such policies are many and varied, primarily comprising employment protection, the mobilization of unemployment benefits and the creation of social programmes to protect those groups hit hardest by the crisis, such as self-employed and informal workers.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led countries across the Americas to take unprecedented steps to protect their populations, chiefly in the fields of public health and social security.
The lack of social protection is, in many countries, linked to a lack of information. When they have insufficient awareness of their rights and responsibilities, workers and their families cannot understand the importance or reach of social protection. It is therefore necessary to educate people about social security in order to promote their access to benefits, their autonomy and their empowerment.
As the use of digital communication increases, the quality of the services provided is key to their success. In our fast-paced world, in which everything seems to be just a click away, service users expect to be able to find the information they want quickly and simply. Failing this, they may become frustrated and the quality of their user experience is undermined.
The correct interpretation of data is a great challenge faced by all organizations. In an increasingly fast-paced environment, which demands timely and apposite decisions, data analysis has become an increasingly important tool. In particular, in the context of COVID-19, the use of analytical technologies has enabled institutions to better evaluate the health and social impact of the pandemic and to improve decision-making processes.
In social security, a one-stop shop can be defined as a single point of access to several social security organizations or services for the provision of services in a given area. In its widest sense, a one-stop shop aims to simplify access as far as possible to a comprehensive service, in one single place and one single visit, during which a citizen needs to interact with a maximum of one or two different individuals. One-stop shops are usually established to draw together fragmented social security services, enhancing the overlap between them and creating links with other sectors.
Telemedicine is a discipline that involves the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to provide remote medical services. Health-care professionals can use it to carry out prevention activities and those related to the diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of health-care system users, in particular those who are unable to seek care in person.
The ISSA Focal Point for the English-speaking Caribbean countries was launched in March 2021. This is the 18th regional structure of the International Social Security Association (ISSA). The focal point is headed by Stewart Haynes, Director of the National Insurance Services in Saint Vincent and the
The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the importance of safety, health and well-being, and the role that social security institutions play to support their beneficiaries in navigating through the pandemic. By promoting a prevention culture, governments, workers, employers and social security institutions contribute to building a safer, healthier and more productive working environment. A healthy workforce also contributes to the sustainability of social security systems.