How to fix the pension system?

Why would a 67-year-old man who inactive runs marathons get a pension while a 62-year-old female with diabetes and degenerations inactive gotta work at the cash register? The answer is simple: this is how our absurd pension strategy works. It is time to change this – radically and wisely.

In Western societies it was accepted that retirement was a reward. For long work, loyalty to the state and ZUS, patience with officials. Problem is, this reward strategy has been turned into a grotesque. Retirement is not given erstwhile you request it, but erstwhile the calendar tip exceeds magic 60, 65 or 67 years. Let's halt pretending it makes sense.

According to the Mercer CFA study Institute Global Pension Index 2023, the Polish pension strategy fell for 29th place, for countries specified as Kazakhstan. Source: https://www.bankier.pl/newsc/Polish-system-emeritary-in-tail-Europe-Co-need-amended-8632476.html

Retirement not for age, but for old age

The real point of retirement was originally different. She was made up to keep a man from dying at work. To have the chance to last the last, hardest years of life without stress over bills. Not to spend decades laying on land, increasing tomatoes and tormenting grandchildren with boomers stories.

Data is brutal. More than 80% of medical expenditure falls on the last 2 years of human life. This is erstwhile he ceases to be professionally, physically and mentally capable. It is then that he needs support and – just then – should be entitled to a pension.

So why do we give it to people who are inactive strong? due to the fact that that's what the arbitrary strategy says based on the date of birth and the number of years worked. That's nonsense. Retirement should be granted erstwhile a individual is truly unfit for work. And only then.

Technology alternatively of sentiments

Today, we have tools to accurately find the condition of human wellness and its life expectancy. Genetic research, predictive models, wellness insurance data and medical databases – all of this allows to make a biological hazard profile and life expectancy with precision that we could only dream about a decade ago. Very frequently with accuracy to individual weeks.

Instead of metric age – biological age. alternatively of an ‘equal right to a pension’, an individual case study. Does that sound cold and heartless? Maybe. But no more than today's system, which sends a sick female for another 5 years to a physical job, while a healthy man drives around the planet in retirement from the Social Insurance Fund.

New order: two-year pension

We propose a simple solution: all citizen has the right to quit for the last 2 to 3 years of his life. It's a time erstwhile you can't work decently anymore. erstwhile the body starts to fall apart and the head needs peace.

In practice, this would mean yearly wellness tests and an update of life expectancy. Of course, not everything is predictable – but present besides ZUS is incapable to foretell whether individual dies after 3 or 30 years of retirement.

The difference is that the fresh strategy would work Fairer – due to the fact that it would be guided by a real need, not an arbitrary rule.

The story of “insuring old age”

Let's not fool ourselves – retirement is not the privilege of surviving a dream. It's the last hard phase of life. Not a hobby fund for active seniors who, at the age of 63, start studying sinology or visiting the planet retired from ZUS, which should never be.

The state should not be patron of old age. It should be the last resort. We all want to live happily always after – but if individual wants to travel around the planet at the age of 60, let them do so for their own savings, not for taxpayers' money.

What about social solidarity?

It's not a substance of deficiency of empathy. On the contrary – the current pension strategy is dramatically unfair to poor, sick, exploited people who frequently die before they can get their first payment from the Social safety Office. Meanwhile, healthy, well - placed, surviving 90 years and longer, they carry on witnessing for decades. This is not justice – this is simply a redistribution mechanics from mediocre to rich.

The fresh pension model must be based on data, not sentiment. On the biological need, not on the regulations of the times of PRL, erstwhile we had no computers and everything had to be counted manually. Only then will we halt fooling ourselves – and only then will we build a strategy that truly works.

Retirement is not a right to vacation. It's a relief before you die. It's time to bring her back to this role.