President Hipolito Mejia is expected to sign the Social Security Bill into law this 10 May, the day that commemorates the death of PRD party leader, Jose Francisco Peña Gómez. But El Caribe newspaper points out that if the government doesn’t hustle, the implementation of the bill may not happen in this administration. The departments involved need to sort out the rulings, administration and all the complex bureaucracy that will be needed for its implementation. The new law creates a Seguro Nacional de Salud for state employees and the unemployed. Private pension and medical health plans are available to the privately employed and to state workers who choose to privately contract these services. El Caribe newspaper explains that this week the Senate passed what could be described as a "declaration of principles," after more than 20 years of discussions. "If there is to be a system of fair social security, it will depend on the creation of the complex structure on which it will be built," explains a report on the bill in the newspaper.
