On 1 January 2019, the government of British Columbia (BC) launched a new Employer Health Tax (EHT) to shift the health care system financial burden from employees to employers. The EHT is a tax levied on an annual payroll for […]
On 16 July 2019, the government of South Korea will implement an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act. The Act will mandate foreign nationals living in South Korea for six months or more to enroll and pay monthly premiums […]
On 30 May 2019, the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) enacted a new employment law which introduces statutory paternity leave and amends several provisions of the existing 2005 employment law, including sick leave pay and paid time off. The 2019 […]
On 1 April 2019, the government of Hong Kong introduced a new individual Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme (VHIS). This legislation aims to offer consumers additional choices through private healthcare services, alleviate the burden on the public healthcare system and encourage […]
The government of Mexico adopted a new regulation to identify, prevent and address psychological risk factors in the workplace. Regulation NOM-035-STPS-2018 was published in the Federal Official Gazette on 23 October 2018, and will enter into force on 23 October […]
The government of the Philippines passed a law expanding the maternity leave period from 60 days to 105 days, effective 8 March 2019. The extended period is fully paid for all female workers, regardless of their civil status. Key details […]
The government of Cyprus is finally implementing a national health system, known as GESY or General Health Scheme (GHS), after almost two decades of negotiations. In late 2017, the Cypriot government passed the general health system law establishing central public […]
On 1 March 2019, the government of Spain issued a Royal Decree-Law 6/2019 equalizing maternity and paternity leave benefits by progressively expanding the duration of paternity leave from five weeks to a total of 16 weeks with pay. This new […]
During the 2019 budget vote, the French government passed a healthcare bill called “100 percent santé,” which provides full reimbursement through social security and supplementary health insurance for dental prostheses, optical devices and hearing aids. These changes will enter into […]
On 7 February 2019, the government of the Czech Republic passed Act No. 32/2019, which decreases social security contributions and allows employees to have paid sick leave beginning with their first day of absence. The new act, which amends the […]