Prospects and Tasks for Health and Social Welfare Policies in 2025

Abstract

This article examines the changing policy environment for income security programs, provides an outlook on the future direction of related policies, and offers an overview of program reforms that may significantly impact the income security system. As the population of older adults continues to grow, rapid changes are taking place in the sociodemographic landscape, with households becoming smaller and one-person households increasing. These trends are especially pronounced among households receiving National Basic Living Security benefits. Poverty rates, after declining for some time, have plateaued in recent years. Poverty among older adults and one-person households continues to be a significant issue for the income security system. Meanwhile, as various income security programs are introduced and implemented, the system is becoming more complex, with the constituent programs becoming interconnected and interdependent. In the changing policy environment, efforts are ongoing to overcome the problems and limitations of existing programs, driven by discussions on how best to coordinate and integrate income security programs, along with considerations of alternative approaches, which are likely to be implemented by and by. The existing income security system has shown a clear trend of its target population resolving into distinct groups with different income support needs. If tailoring income support programs to these needs proves challenging, integrating them with other social security programs targeting similar groups may be considered, with a view to keeping the income security system simple, effective, efficient, and sustainable.