Social insurance
2. Social insurance schemes are
schemes in which social contributions are paid by employees or
other individuals, or by employers on behalf of their employees,
in order to secure entitlement to social insurance benefits for
the employees or other contributors, their dependents or
survivors. Social insurance schemes cover social risks or needs 
. Unlike
social assistance benefits, social insurance benefits are
conditional on participation in a scheme.
3. Social insurance schemes are
often organised collectively so that those participating do not
have to take out individual insurance policies in their own
names. However, some social insurance schemes may permit, or even
require, participants to take out policies in their own names.
Individual policies are treated as part of a social insurance
scheme if they cover social risks or needs and if at least one of
the following three conditions is satisfied:
- participation in the scheme is compulsory either by law or by the
conditions of employment,
- the scheme is operated on behalf of a group and restricted to group
members, or
- an employer makes a
contribution to the scheme on behalf of an employee.
