According to the VSS, in the first nine months of this year, local social security offices have strictly followed insurance collection and beneficiary network expansion plans.

The number of participants in social insurance nationwide has reached about 17.3 million, accounting for roughly 37.2 per cent of working-age persons.

Health insurance has attracted more than 91.4 million people, reaching a coverage rate of about 92.4 per cent of the population.

Illustrative image (VSS)

VSS has collected 70.4 per cent of the assigned premiums.

Those results have shown the major efforts of VSS employees. However, the tasks in the last three months of the year have been identified as being challenging with a heavy workload.

To accomplish the tasks assigned by the Prime Minister, the VSS has ordered local social security offices to implement social, health and unemployment insurance policies to offer consultations to local authorities.

The local social security offices have been requested to consult the Chief of Staff of the Steering Committee on the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies and work with localities to review performance and map out solutions for late insurance payments.

The offices must strictly and fully follow VSS instructions on expanding the beneficiary network relevant with the practical conditions of each locality.

They have also been asked to coordinate closely with tax authorities, local departments of planning and investment and other relevant agencies to update new business establishment and operation as well as their labour use and salary payments.

Illustrative image (VSS)

Social security offices at the district level must hold working sessions with employers to instruct and urge them to participate and fully pay social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance for their employees.

Local social security offices have also been asked to issue health insurance cards for communities living in war safety areas.

Offices are also responsible for giving advice to the provincial people’s committees in sourcing the State budget or calling for assistance from donors, businesses and sponsors to support health insurance premiums for participants living in disadvantaged conditions.

They must strengthen inspection of businesses that owe or delay social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance premiums from more than three months, and propose criminal prosecution on those evading or delaying the payment.

The Decree adds two groups of people who are supported by the State budget to pay health insurance premiums. The first group is the people of ATK communes and revolutionary ATK areas during the resistance war against the French and the Americans, with the residence information of the people has been updated in the National Database on Population, Database on Residence, which do not belong to provisions in Clauses 1, 2 and 3, Article 12 of the Law on Health Insurance. ATK is the name of the area – including the three provinces of Thai Nguyen, Tuyen Quang and Bac Kan – that late President Ho Chi Minh selected as a safety zone to build a revolutionary base during the Anti-French resistance war (1946-54).

The second group, who is supported with at least 70 per cent of the health insurance premium, is ethnic minorities living in communes of Region II, Region III, and extremely difficult villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the period 2016-20, but these communes are no longer on the list of communes of Region II, Region III, and extremely difficult villages in ethnic minority and mountainous areas in the 2021-25 period, according to Decision No 861 of the Prime Minister. The People's Committee of provinces and cities can base on the local budget and legal funding sources to decide on the level of additional support in addition to the level of support for health insurance contributions from the State budget.

The Decree also adds the groups of health insurance participants that the health insurance fund covers 100 per cent of their medical expenses. The groups consist of people participating in the resistance war and defending the fatherland; people who serve people who have contributed to the revolution and permanently reside in ATK communes and revolutionary ATK areas. Besides, the Decree allows health insurance participants to present chip-based identity cards or other legal documents that have been electronically identified at level 2 on VNeID application according to the provisions of Decree 59/2022/ND-CP to replace health insurance cards when the participants go to medical facilities for examination and treatment.