The most recent major innovation was the Law of 26 July 1986 introducing the minimum wage, a mechanism to guarantee resources. It consists of a supplementary benefit paid up to a threshold of resources determined according to the composition of the household. This benefit is awarded irrespective of the causes of the situation of need. For the time being, current revenue exceeds expenditure. The significance of social security revenue and expenditure in relation to GDP has increased continually over the years.
Public contributions play a growing role in financing the system.
With about quarter of the total, health insurance comes second. Comparing the public contributions to the ordinary expenditure under the government budget, the steady growth in the place taken by social security in public finance becomes obvious. Nearly half the ordinary budget is absorbed by social security.