Social Security Insurance in Turkey

Social security insurance in Turkey is one of the most important services that Turkish citizens receive, as the Turkish insurance system outperforms many developed countries around the world, and for this reason, Turkish social security insurance is a strong incentive to obtain Turkish citizenship and benefit from the services of state institutions that deal with Health and social insurance for Turks.

 

Social Insurance Institution of Turkey

The Social Insurance Institution of Turkey, Sosyal Güvenlik Kurumu , better known as " SGK ", is a public body established in 2006, which oversees the social security systems benefiting Turkish citizens.

 

This institution established a system that provides some medical and social services to citizens working in public and private institutions, and social insurance covers health benefits, including free hospital treatment, and a deduction of about 20% of the treatment price and pension upon reaching retirement age.

 

Foreign expatriates can benefit from social security in Turkey by working for a Turkish company, and obtaining a work permit that guarantees benefiting from social security benefits, and the employer is obligated to issue this insurance and pay the fees involved.

 

Types of social security insurance in Turkey

Government social security insurance in Turkey is divided into 4 types, and they are:

 

Green Card Insurance Yeşil Kart

The Turkish government has decided to allocate Yeşil Kart green card insurance to low-income families, whose average per capita income

 

And in 2012, the Green Card was activated, according to which all family members can claim health services (treatments and medicines) at a reduced price, paying 20% ​​of the value of the medicine.

 

It is easy to apply for this insurance for Turkish citizens, by submitting an application to the Solidarity and Social Welfare Foundation in the shrine area to which the family home address belongs, the application is usually evaluated within two to three weeks, and the applicant can track the result of this application through Government portal ( e devlet ).

 

 

GSS General Health Insurance

Public health insurance is a system that provides health services to all Turkish citizens. It was introduced in early 2012. This insurance ensures that citizens benefit equally from health services regardless of their economic status.

 

This insurance covers the father, mother and children under the age of 18, as well as high school children under the age of 21, and students under the age of 25. Public health insurance in Turkey is divided into two parts:

 

Health insurance for workers in the public or private sector, where the employer pays insurance premiums for employees in the company, and employees and their families can benefit from government health services at no additional cost.

As for the unemployed, according to the changes that took effect in 2017, he will have to pay health insurance premiums equal to 3% of the value of the minimum wage.

 

It should be noted that foreigners residing in Turkey are entitled to obtain legal health insurance by obtaining a work permit and registering with the Turkish Social Insurance Institution.

 

Bagkor

Bagkur Insurance is a health insurance in Turkey, where citizens who are not subject to social insurance pay a monthly amount and can therefore benefit from the retirement system after 15 or 20 years, and this type includes health services that provide free treatments in Turkish state hospitals with discounts on drug prices about 20% .

 

Bağ-Kur Foundation also provides insurance support for the elderly and covers funeral costs and insured expenses. It should be noted that Bağkur insurance cannot be obtained at the same time as other types of insurance, but it is possible to pay women and children so that they can benefit from the pension system.

 

The value of the monthly subscription to this type of insurance varies according to the profession and the minimum wage, which is determined annually by the Turkish Ministry of Labor.

 

The social security system in Turkey

The social security system used in Turkey is the closest to the European model "Bismarck model", and this system can be activated depending on the insurance status, where the units paid above the wages of employees are collected in a common fund, but after obtaining the right to a monthly old-age pension, and then The pension is provided according to these paid units, and if a person retires, has an accident or gets sick, the assistance provided by the system varies by income.

 

The units paid under the social security model are the basis for future social assistance benefits, and it includes many people, as it aims to avoid social risks while taking into account family ties at the site of the system, and if the person experiences loss of income or exposure to social risks, he will receive support from the system regardless Regardless of whether the state helps him or not.

 

Social Security Reform

There have been many factors hindering the functioning of the social security system in Turkey since 1990, such as: early retirement applications were actually below the main profit base, high unrecorded employment, low collection rates, and high monthly replacement rates, which led to financial problems In the system, because it does not cover the entire population, it does not guarantee adequate protection against poverty.

 

The various social security agencies were also one of the reasons for the mismatch between the rights and obligations of workers, and this in addition to the many factors affecting the financing of the system, especially the measures to be taken against the aging of the population, made reform of the system inevitable.

 

The provision of service is the primary objective in the people-oriented system, and for this reason, the provision of many services from the central system has been abandoned, and planning to establish sub-centers at the local level to make services more convenient for the insured in many governorates and regions with the aim of providing services to citizens in the most convenient way .

 

In order to make the social security system work better at solving the aforementioned problems, the main objectives of social security reform were to provide a fair and inclusive security system, more effective against poverty, and be financially sustainable.

 

The reform of the social security system consists of 4 main components that complement each other, namely:

 

  • Public health insurance finances the equitable and equitable provision of high-quality preventive and curative health services to the entire population, through free collection of social assistance and random payments.
  • Establishing an equal aid system for all those in need according to objective criteria.
  • Establishing a unified pension insurance system that includes two branches of short-term and long-term insurance, with the exception of health insurance.
  • Establishing a new institutional structure that ensures the provision of modern and efficient services and facilitates the daily life of citizens.

 

At the end of the article, it should be noted that social security insurance in Turkey is a very urgent necessity, as it guarantees the health of citizens and protects them from any dangers they may be exposed to. It is true that this health project is a global project that is not limited to Turkey, but Turkey is among the most comprehensive countries In terms of achieving social security, which shows that the Turkish government was monitoring reality with its painful point that needs to be addressed.

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