Members’ News 104
Please find the members’ news from the newsletter 104 below:
CIDA – Italy
Mobilisation against pension plans
On October 30th, the conference “Not for fairness but for cash” was organized by CIDA – Italian Confederation of managers and Higher professionals in Rome on the reform of the Italian pension system. The conference was attended by several experts from the Italian political and social security sectors and offered an occasion to discuss the possibility, leaked by government sources, to replace the absurd proposal of recalculating medium-high pensions by introducing another “solidarity contribution” to the detriment of the same categories of pensioners.
One thing is certain: managers are most affected by the fiscal maneuvers of the last decade. However, the worst aspect, in the eyes of the public opinion, is the wrong perception of managers as a privileged caste perceiving “pensioni d’oro” (golden pensions) that must be cut to restore a presumed social fairness. This approach does not take into account how much managers are already engaged in supporting contractual welfare policies and contributing to social initiatives, both individually and at the organization level. Furthermore, attacking managers risks weakening further an already fragile social context, as it delegitimizes a category that contributes to drive change at all levels. For all these reasons, CIDA promotes a shared action plan to counter this situation, adopting any measure that it will consider more effective to shake the world of politics and institutions.
SNQTB – Portugal
Informed choice, an ethical imperative – a contribution by SNQTB President Paulo Gonçalves Marcos
The President of the Portuguese CEC member presents his organisation’s mutual insurance, SAMS Quadros, an entity that has become a reference in both mutual schemes and the wider spectrum of healthcare subsystems. SAMS Quadros has unique features: it is a mutuality, to the extent that nobody is excluded due their age, clinical pathologies or professional situation. Yet, on the other hand, it is also a subsystem financed almost equally by employers and employees.
Moreover, the mutuality is an operator in the healthcare “market” that stands out for hiring the best that this same market has to offer. SAMS Quadros was a pioneer in the introduction of pre-authorisations, in electronic invoicing vis-à-vis large hospital groups, and in introducing quotations that enable associates and beneficiaries to effectively compare prices among different providers.
The next step was recently made with the launch of the “Escolha Informada SAMS Quadros” (SAMS Quadros Informed Choice”) network, comprised of service providers, whose price-quality ratio is unbeatable. Soon, the network will extend to other areas, such as complementary diagnostic tests and therapy, as well as dental medicine.
