Interviewer instructions
First block of questions: for all persons
Question 6: Social Security
The question should be asked to all persons in the whole country. Through it what is wanted to be known is the grade in which the population of the country is protected by the benefits of Social Security in any of its types.
[Below the text is a form.]
The first thing you should do in this case is ask the question: Are you (or is such and such other person) insured with any type of insurance that the Costa Rican Social Security Bank offers? Clarify to the interviewed person that you are asking about Social Security and not about any other type of insurance (for example, those that the National Institute of Insurances offers: for life, health (preinversión), against robbery, for automobiles, etc.).
If the persons responds that yes they are insured in any type of the two types or in both, (Sickness and Maternity and Invalid, Old Age and Death) then you should specify the type of insurance that they have as they appear in question 6.
Because in many cases persons do not know if it is for Direct, Family of Voluntary Insurance and also do not know that other types of insurance exists, it is convenient that we review the meaning of each one of these types of insurance.
{Types of Social Security that the Bank has}
Direct Insurance:
In this category should be the workers who receive a wage or salary and who by law have to pay monthly to the Costa Rican Social Security Bank. This payment is formed by a part of the wage or salary that these workers yield which is retained by the employer. Thanks to the employer, the worker receives in exchange medical attention for the worker and family members (parents, children and in some cases for other persons especially when they depend economically on the direct insurance.
[p. 49]
You should keep in mind that Direct Insurance can benefit from the Sickness and Maternity Benefits or from Invalid, Old Age and Death Benefits or both. This type of insurance is obligatory, but some regions or with respect to some workers the employers do not insure them, which is why one cannot always relate being insured with being salaried.
Voluntary Insurance:
This classification corresponds to persons who because of their occupational category, are not obliged to pay for the benefits of Social Security and who voluntarily signed a contract with the Costa Rican Social Security Bank, in virtue of promising to make payments.
Persons who have Voluntary Insurance can be attached to Sickness and Maternity Benefits only. Nevertheless, through an increase in their fee they can be protected, if they want, by both benefits at the same time, that is to say, by Sickness and Maternity and by Invalid, Old Age and Death.
Family Insurance:
This type of insurance protects persons in the following cases:
Spouse or children younger than 18 years old and are dependents of the Directly Insured person.
Single and who do not earn a salary.
Children and dependents between 18 and 25 years old, who are students at an education center.
Dependent children who are invalid or disabled, and also the parents of the Directly Insured person when they depend economically on them.
Other types of insurances:
They are registered in circle number 4 (Other). Old directly insured (and their family members) who are pensioned and persons who claim to be attached to the non contributed designated benefit, which is an insurance of investments for a person who, being 65 years old, is invalid and has no family members who can look after them. Also included in this category are designated workers for the account of the State, that is, indigent persons who have no families that can look after them, according how it is established in the Family Code, and who never had the opportunity or possibility of paying for Invalid, Old Age and Death benefits. This type of insurance is financed by a fund that the Law of Family Assignments provides.
If the answer to the question: Are you insured by any of the benefits of Costa Rican Social Security Bank? is negative, you should fill out circle 5 for "not insured".
