Mortality differentials in beneficiaries of the National Institute of Social Security of Brazil in 2015

Abstract

This paper aims to estimate mortality and analyze its differentials by sex, age, and groups of beneficiaries of the Brazilian National Institute of Social Security (INSS) in 2015 and make comparisons with official estimates for the general population, assessing the distribution of deaths by age and of survival after 65 years old. The results reinforce the need for more studies on mortality differentials between beneficiary groups and for continuous investment to improve the quality of the data. Population aging, among other aspects, puts pressure on the Brazilian social security system, and there is real concern about its sustainability. Life tables by population subgroups are fundamental as a tool for analyzing the financial and actuarial equilibrium of the system. The results contribute to the debate on the mortality differentials between groups of beneficiaries of the general pension and social security system in Brazil. The death and population data derive from the administrative records of the INSS. We used Gompertz and Van de Maen models and Topals regression to estimate the mortality rates above the age of 65, according to the following beneficiary groups: retirees through age of the General Social Security Regime (Regime Geral de Previdência Social – RGPS) – disaggregated by urban and rural clienteles; retirees through period of contribution; and beneficiaries of welfare support for low income seniors. Among the main results, it was possible to minimize the crossover in the mortality rates of older ages, when the mortality of the less advantaged population becomes lower than the mortality of populations with better social indicators. Cross-checking the results with the official mortality estimates, it was observed that life expectancies for the 65 and 75 year old age groups of the target population of this study are higher than in the general population.