Employer provision of sickness/disability benefits reduces
take-up but may also have unintended effects
Public schemes for sickness benefits and disability insurance
are often criticized for the lack of incentive they provide for preventive and reintegration
activities by employers. To stimulate the interest of employers in engaging with these
schemes, several modes of privatization could be considered, including the provision of
sickness benefits by employers, “experience rating” of disability insurance costs, employer
self-insurance, or insurance by private insurance providers. These types of employer
incentives seem to lower sickness rates, but they also come at the risk of increased
under-reporting and less employment opportunities for workers with disabilities or bad health
conditions. Policymakers should be aware of this trade-off.
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