Overview of the conference

At the conference, representatives of the HI Policy Implementation Department reported on the implementation of HI policies during the first eight months of 2026 and key tasks for the final four months of the year. Accordingly, during the first eight months of 2026, HI-covered medical treatment continued to be provided amid growing demand for healthcare among the population, alongside the implementation of new regulations and policies in the healthcare and HI sectors.

By the end of August 2026, there had been 130.7 million HI-covered medical treatment visits, an increase of 2.7 million visits, or 2.1%, compared with the same period in 2025. Of these, outpatient visits totaled 117.1 million, up 1.8%, while inpatient treatment cases totaled 13.6 million, up 4.2%. Total expenditure on HI-covered medical treatment reached VND 117.993 trillion, an increase of VND 11.726 trillion, or 11%, compared with the same period in 2025. Outpatient expenditure reached VND 44.829 trillion, up 11.5%, while inpatient expenditure reached VND 73.164 trillion, up 10.7%.

Regarding the utilization of the expenditure estimate, the total national estimate for HI-covered medical treatment expenditure in 2026 was VND 157.200 trillion. By the end of August, total expenditure on HI-covered medical treatment stood at approximately VND 119.896 trillion, equivalent to 76.3% of the estimate. Among the 10 provinces and centrally governed cities subject to in-depth analysis, several localities recorded high rates of estimate utilization, including Ca Mau at 82.1%, Vinh Long at 76.8%, Hanoi at 77.7%, HCM City at 77.1%, and Dong Nai at 74.6%, among others.

The implementation of HI medical treatment assessment and cost control shows that certain issues remain, including inadequacies related to diagnostic imaging costs for examinations where images are not printed; inpatient bed-day costs that need to be further controlled in accordance with operating licenses and the actual number of beds; and medical treatment provided on days off, public holidays and outside regular working hours, which continues to require close monitoring and control.

At the conference, representatives of the 10 provincial and municipal social security offices openly discussed and clarified outstanding issues and difficulties in the implementation of HI policies, while proposing a number of practical solutions to improve the effectiveness of HI medical treatment assessment and cost control.

Representatives of VSS departments and professional units emphasized the need to strictly implement the directives of the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health on preventing abuse, fraud and profiteering from the HI fund of the HI Fund, and to shift decisively from overall control to focused and targeted control. At the same time, the quality of medical treatment assessment must be improved, with unannounced inspections strengthened for medical facilities showing signs of irregularities. Difficulties and problems arising in practice need to be proactively identified, analyzed and promptly reported so that appropriate measures can be taken.

Based on the discussions at the conference, Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoa requested the HI Policy Implementation Department and relevant VSS units to continue closely monitoring the situation and providing guidance and support to local social security offices in fully implementing all cost-control measures in accordance with the HI Assessment Procedures, while promptly addressing difficulties and problems arising during implementation.

For provincial and municipal social security offices, Deputy Director General requested that they regularly analyze HI-covered medical treatment data and report the findings to provincial-level People’s Committees, VSS, Departments of Health and healthcare facilities. They were also requested to strengthen coordination with Departments of Health in implementing HI policies and to promptly identify acts showing signs of abuse, fraud or profiteering from the HI Fund.

In addition, localities need to maintain the notification, warning, inspection and review of medical treatment facilities with significantly increased costs, and organize working sessions with facilities whose costs have increased significantly or that have been warned but have not made appropriate adjustments. For cases showing signs of irregularities, consideration should be given to conducting unannounced inspections of the implementation of HI-covered medical treatment contracts within the scope of authority. Relevant regulations should continue to be implemented and costs reviewed by specific thematic areas.

One requirement emphasized at the conference was the need to improve the quality of HI assessment staff, particularly their capacity to analyze data, identify risks and assess professional indicators. Medical treatment assessment needs to shift decisively from addressing costs after they have arisen to early warning, early analysis and early intervention, thereby proactively preventing factors that may increase HI-covered medical treatment costs. For expenditures that are not compliant with regulations or do not meet the eligibility requirements for payment, VSS must take decisive action in accordance with regulations.

Previously, on September 15, 2026, in Hanoi, VSS held a conference on the implementation of measures to control HI-covered medical treatment costs for the last four months of 2026 – Cluster 1, with the participation of eight provinces and centrally governed cities. This was one of two conferences organized by VSS to review the situation, identify factors contributing to increased costs, and agree on measures to control HI-covered medical treatment costs during the final months of the year./.