Health Protection for Elderly Employees

Abstract

As the population of working age decreases, Thailand has fully embraced an elderly society which has an impact on the state’s employment and social welfare. The state therefore encourages the employment of more elderly people but finds that the Labor Protection Act, B.E. 2541, has no provision to protect the work of elderly employees. Also, the Social Security Act, B.E. 2533, requires employees over the age of 60 to be retired from being insured, with the exception of elderly employees who continue to work for the same employer. As a result, neither of the two acts provides health protection for elderly employees. Therefore, the elderly employees exercise their rights under the National Health Security Act B.E. 2545 or from other state welfare programs, which increases the state’s financial burden, or use their rights under high-premium private health insurance contracts. This article proposes that, in addition to lowering the budget burden of the National Health Security Act, B.E. 2545, as well as other state welfare benefits, the Labor Protection Act, B.E. 2541, should require elderly employees to be insured under the Social Security Act, B.E. 2533, or provide a private insurance contract, or provide additional state welfare benefits. This also encourages the insurance business to expand.