As of October 21, there have been more than 14.5 million people joining the social insurance scheme nationwide, covering 82.2 per cent of VSS’ plan.

The figure decreased by 253,000 people compared to August 2021 and over 1.6 million people compared to the end of 2020.

The number of people joining compulsory social insurance has dropped by 272,000 compared to August and over 1.6 million compared to 2020.

More than 1.2 million people joined social insurance voluntarily, reaching 69 per cent of the target and increasing by 19,000 compared to August and 361,000 over the same period last year.

More than 83.5 million people have health insurance cards nationwide, decreasing by over 1.6 million compared to August, 2021 and over 3.1 million over the same period last year.

The insurance collection’s value in October, 2021 reached 69.8 per cent of the target and increased by over VND3.2 trillion over the same period last year.

Forty-three provinces and cities have insurance collection levels higher than the national average including Tuyen Quang, Cao Bang, Hung Yen, Ha Nam and Thanh Hoa.

Forty-six localities including Cao Bang, Dien Bien, Ha Giang and Thai Nguyen have insurance debt level lower than the national average.

Caption 1: VSS deputy general director Tran Dinh Lieu chairs the meeting.

Local social security agencies have strengthened measures to increase health and social insurance collection.

After reviewing more than 100,600 employers, the agencies have called on the participation of 38,945 labourers in social insurance.

The local social security agencies have organised 5,499 online and offline conferences to expand the network of social and health insurance membership with 72,967 new members including more than 35,500 joining voluntary social insurance and more than 37,300 joining household health insurance.

Inspection work has been stepped up with VND502 billion of debt recovered.

Overcoming challenges

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, provincial and city social security agencies have made efforts and taken creative measures to expand the membership network.

Bac Giang Province, once a COVID-19 hotspot, successfully held an action month and attracted more than 3,700 local people to voluntarily join social insurance.

More than 25,300 people in Bac Giang have applied for the voluntary social insurance scheme since earlier this year.

Bui Thi Lan Huong, director of Ninh Binh Province’s Social Security Agency, said the pandemic had left impacts on inspection work. The agency and the provincial police have invited insurance debt-owning units and businesses for face-to-face meetings. Many of them committed to pay off the debts.

Sharing experience of Nghe An Province in attracting more people to join the insurance scheme, Le Viet Thuc, deputy director of Nghe An Province’s Social Security Agency, said the agency had worked with commune and ward authorities and made plans to develop membership.

The province has encouraged about 120,000 people who left the social insurance scheme to re-join and aimed to attract 80,000 more people.

Caption 2: Representatives from local social security agencies join the meeting online.

Phan Van Men, director of HCM City’s Social Security Agency, said the city’s business activities had not been fully resumed with only about 70 per cent of enterprises back to work.

Businesses in services, tourism and trade find it hard to recover immediately, he said.

The city’s social security agency has offered support from the unemployment insurance fund for labourers who lost their jobs and at the same time, planned to expand the insurance membership network, he said.

“We have proposed the municipal People’s Committee to allow the resumption of insurance collection agencies at commune and ward level,” he told the meeting.

Nguyen Duc Hoa, director of Hanoi’s Social Security Agency, reported positive signs in September’s increasing number of people joining compulsory social insurance.

A campaign calling on people to join voluntary, compulsory social insurance and household insurance was held in the capital city, he said.

Stimulating creativity to expand membership network

Deputy General Director Tran Dinh Lieu praised local social security agencies for collection and membership expansion efforts.

He asked the local agencies to focus solutions to support labourers who returned to localities due to the impacts of COVID-19 or those who have suspended insurance membership due to Decision 861.

He also suggested offering support policies to those joining the health insurance scheme, especially those from ethnic minority groups.

“Proper solutions must be taken early for each group,” he said.

He also asked local social security agencies to share the database with post offices and collection agencies to encourage voluntary, household social and health insurance participation, at the same time, step up communication work through the media and digital app VssID./.