Latest news with #NationalInsuranceScheme
Borneo Post
05-07-2025
- Health
- Borneo Post
Introduce National Insurance Scheme to ensure universal care, says Sarawak DAP
Brolin says that healthcare costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable for ordinary citizens. KUCHING (July 5): The Sarawak Democratic Action Party (DAP) has urged the government to introduce a National Insurance Scheme (NIS) to address rising medical inflation and safeguard access to essential care for Malaysians. Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii's special officer, Brolin Nicholsion, said that healthcare costs are becoming increasingly unaffordable for ordinary citizens. 'This alarming trend underscores the urgent need to explore a comprehensive NIS to ensure no one is left behind when illness strikes,' he said in a statement yesterday. Brolin added that while existing programmes — like the Social Security Organisation (Socso), Employees' Provident Fund (EPF), MySalam, and Peka B40 — are valuable, they remain fragmented and fail to sufficiently cover the informal workforce, gig workers, and self-employed individuals. He thus calls for a well-structured NIS to integrate these efforts, pooling contributions from both formal and informal sectors to provide universal access to healthcare, basic income protection, and long-term security for all Malaysians. According to Brolin, countries like South Korea and China-Taiwan have shown that a national insurance model can succeed with political will and smart design. 'South Korea transformed its fragmented system into a unified National Health Insurance Service (NHIS), covering its entire population through a tiered contribution system. 'Meanwhile, Taiwan had built one of the most efficient single-payer systems in the world, balancing equity, quality and affordability through universal participation and low administrative costs. 'These models demonstrate how Malaysia could also transition toward a sustainable, inclusive healthcare safety net,' he added. Brolin also emphasised that strong governance and trust via transparent fund management, citizen oversight, and independent audits must be ensured towards this end. He said the proposed NIS must align with existing systems like Socso and EPF to avoid duplication and overburdening, adding: 'It should start with targeted groups such as B40 gig workers or recent graduates before nationwide implementation.' 'The proposed NIS is not just a healthcare policy, but a nation-building strategy. It will protect vulnerable families from rising costs, empower youth and informal workers with real safety nets, and foster a fairer and more resilient Malaysia. 'The longer we wait, the more people fall through the cracks,' he added. Brolin Nicholsion dap National Insurance Scheme
Local Norway
13-02-2025
- Business
- Local Norway
How Norway's new income requirements for family immigration work
Stricter income requirements for family immigration permits to Norway were introduced on February 1st. Norway's Minister of Justice Emilie Enger Mehl said the rule change was to try and slow immigration into Norway. Family immigration permits are typically for non-EU nationals who wish to join a spouse, partner, parent or child in Norway. The new rules will not affect those in Norway under the EEA Freedom of Movement rules. The application for family immigration refers to two people: the applicant and the person the applicant is moving to be with. The person the applicant is moving to be with is referred to as the reference person. In addition to the other requirements, which may change depending on your circumstance, the reference person must document that they have a source of adequate income. How the rules are changing Those who register the application for family immigration and pay the application fee as of February 1st 2025, will be required to have a future income of 396,890 kroner when applying. They will also need to have a past income of 2.7 times G if the application is processed before February 1st 2026. "G" refers to the National Insurance Basic Amount, which changes yearly but was 124,028 kroner in May of 2024. At the time of writing, 2.7 times G is 334,875 kroner. If the application is processed after February 1st 2026, the reference person will have needed a previous income of 3.2 G, which at the time of writing is 396,889 kroner. The previous income is calculated from various sources but generally comes from salary reported to the Norwegian Tax Administration by your employer. Income from employment is counted, as are sickness benefits, pregnancy benefits, parental support, disability benefits or retirement pensions from the National Insurance Scheme. Other permanent pensions or periodical benefits and loans or grants received in connection with studies are also included. If the applicant is legally employed in Norway already, their income can also count towards this requirement. Should the reference person be on a work permit, then there is no requirement for previous income. Furthermore, if the reference person receives a retirement pension or disability benefits, there are no changes to the income requirements. The new rules also won't apply to family reunification cases involving children under 18 or to those who submitted their application before February 1st 2025.
