生育保险何以为继?OA

Against the backdrop of persistently low fertility,maternity insurance is an important institution supporting population reproduction.By covering pregnancy-and childbirth-related medical expenses and providing maternity benefits,it helps people who wish to have children do so with greater security.At present,the system faces two pressing challenges:difficulties in implementing newly extended maternity leave and the difficulty of incorporating flexible workers into effective coverage.Both challenges are closely related to constraints on fund sustainability.Drawing on pilot experiences,this article examines how institutional parameters,including replacement-rate design,a tiered structure with progressively lower benefit rates,and waiting-period arrangements,affect fund operation.The findings show that,while maintaining the benefit level of basic maternity leave,moderately lowering the replacement rate for newly added maternity leave and introducing a tiered structure with progressively lower benefit rates can enhance fund sustainability while preserving support for childbirth among low-income groups.This approach is therefore better aligned with the practical requirements of sustainable institutional operation under conditions of low fertility.