The freshly-approved law consists of numerous new provisions that bring benefits and conveniences to health insurance card holders.

According to the new law, expenses of remote medical examination and treatment, family medical examination and treatment, and home medical examination and treatment will be covered by health insurance. This new regulation aims to ensure that the consistency with the 2023 Law on Medical Examination and Treatment.

The law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance has created favourable transferring conditions for patients.

If a health insurance policyholder takes up a temporary residence in less than 12 months while going on a business trip, working on the move or taking a full-time training programme, he/she shall be entitled to receive primary health care at an appropriate-level healthcare establishment mentioned in the health insurance card.

In case the locality does not have an equivalent medical facility, the insurance policyholder can choose another facility that provides primary health insurance examination and treatment.

The new law also stipulates that the health insurance fund would cover 100 per cent of basic and specialised examination and treatment costs for patients diagnosed with rare or serious diseases or those requiring complicated surgeries or advanced medical technology as regulated by the Ministry of Health.

In short, patients with rare diseases, serious diseases or those requiring surgery or advanced techniques can have medical expenses fully covered without being transferred to another level.

For example, heart failure (disease code: I50) is included in the list of diseases that can be examined and treated at specialised medical facilities nationwide without a referral letter.

The Ministry of Health is making a specific list of rare and serious diseases that do not require referral letters. A circular containing this list is expected to take effect on January 1, 2025.

The new law has been designed to "remove administrative boundaries in transfer". The transfer of medical examination and treatment facilities no longer depends on the level (commune, district, province, central) as before. It helps create maximum conditions for patients to reduce administrative procedures when transferring medical examination and treatment facilities.

In addition, the law stipulates that village health workers and village midwives are included in the list of health insurance beneficiaries to encourage them and ensure appropriate policies for those responsible for public health care in remote areas.

Pupils and students continue to be sponsored by the State budget when participating in the health insurance, according to the law.

This group is partially sponsored by the State budget, and thus joining health insurance at school will increase the coverage rate for this group. To ensure fairness, the solution is for the Government to consider increasing the level of financial support for them.

The law also outlines the principles of allocating health insurance cards to primary health examination and treatment registration facilities, and assigns the Minister of Health, the Minister of Public Security, and the Minister of National Defence to issue detailed regulations and instructions on primary health examination and treatment registration based on their authority.

They will also decide on the transfer from the first medical examination and treatment establishments to hospitals at higher levels. 

The law shortens the issuance time of health insurance cards from 10 working days to five days and adds regulations on issuing electronic health insurance cards.

According to the law, health insurance participants must present their health insurance cards and documents proving his/her identity at the facility where they have health check-up and treatment.

Children under six years old and people who have donated human body parts but have not owned health insurance cards must present other legal documents.

In case of re-examination upon treatment request, the health insurance participants shall be scheduled for re-examination by the medical facility following the procedures prescribed by the Minister of Health.

The law also adds specific regulations on late payment, evasion of health insurance payment and sanctions imposed on those violations.

The law will take effect from July 1, 2025./.