The new model of the health insurance card has changed in the direction of bringing more benefits to the participants, especially in the process of applying for the card, preserving and using the card to perform medical examination and treatment under health insurance. Thereby, ensuring the best health insurance benefits for participants in accordance with the law. Specifically, some highlights are as follows:

- The new model health insurance card has a compact size similar to a citizen's identity card and some banks' ATM cards, is laminated after printing and is convenient for preservation and use.

- The card number is 10 digits, instead of 15 characters as the current one. This helps to reduce the number of characters the participant needs to declare when looking up on the VSS Portal (at http://baohiemxahoi.gov.vn) or when completing the procedures to request continued participation in health insurance; card re-issuing or exchange; checking the cost of medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance on the VSS Public Service Portal (at https://dichvucong.baohiemxahoi.gov.vn).

- The back of the new model health insurance card has specific instructions on how to use the health insurance card, helping the participants clearly understand how to look up information about the card and their entitlements; how to contact the social insurance agency for guidance and answers to difficulties or problems.

Ready to issue the new model health insurance card

In order to ensure the timely, effective and consistent issuance of the new model health insurance card, right in February 2021, the VSS issued Plan No. 349/KH-BHXH to direct its affiliated professional units and local social insurance agencies to ensure strict and convenient issuance of the new model health insurance card; not to cause congestion in looking up information of the health insurance card for health care facilities covered by health insurance, ensuring the health insurance benefits for the participants.

The new model of the health insurance card under Decision No. 1666 of the VSS.

VSS has assigned specific responsibilities to each affiliated unit to be ready to print and issue health insurance cards according to the proposed plan; at the same time to monitor and urge the timely settlement of complaints and recommendations related to the health insurance benefits of the people when using the new model; questions about the procedures for receiving patients using the new model health insurance card at the health insurance facility.

Following the instructions of the VSS, the provincial social insurance authorities shall report to the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee and coordinate with the Department of Health as well as relevant agencies to inform and propagate among the health insurance facilities, participants and units managing the participants of health insurance on the use of the new model health insurance card. The provincial social insurance agencies shall actively allocate human resources to deploy the plastic injection or hiring plastic injection of the new model health insurance card for participants to ensure compliance with regulations.

To prepare for the printing and issuance of new model health insurance cards, the Vietnamese social insurance industry is currently focusing on reviewing and making statistics on the number of printers of social insurance books and health insurance cards nationwide; notifying the printer parameters and configurations to meet the requirements of printing new model health insurance cards to the provincial social insurance agencies; preparing to organize training, guide, inspect and urge the provincial social insurance agencies to strictly comply with regulations on printing and issuing the new model health insurance cards from April 1, 2021, etc. In particular, VSS has been active in accelerating the completion of software to print new model health insurance cards to ensure that they are ready to provide and support the social insurance agencies of provinces once the old issued draft health insurance cards run out. The software has been tested at the Hanoi Social Security Office from February 22, 2021 in order to test and evaluate the responsiveness of the software to the operations as prescribed. After completing the software, VSS will issue a written notice along with instructional documents to the social insurance authorities of provinces and cities on its usage.

The current valid health insurance card continues to be used for medical care

From April 1, 2021, the new model health insurance card can be used in parallel with the models of health insurance cards specified in Decision No. 1313/QD-BHXH dated December 2, 2014 on the issuance of models of health insurance cards, Decision No. 1500/QD-BHXH dated December 14, 2015 on the issuance of health insurance cards issued to soldiers, people's public security, cipher workers and has equal use value when going for medical care under health insurance, specifically:

- The new model health insurance card will be used nationwide from April 1, 2021.

While waiting for the replacement of the health insurance card under the new form, if the health insurance card issued to the insured is still valid, it will continue to be used for medical care under health insurance.

- The provincial social insurance agencies shall issue the new model health insurance card when the old model card draft has been used up.

- Clause 3, Article 4 of Decision No. 1666/BHXH states: Information on the set of health insurance card numbers (the VSS's provisions in the Decision No. 1351/QD-BHXH dated November 16, 2015 and the guiding documents and current guidance dispatches on the health insurance card number), along with the participant's address (place of residence or workplace) and the period of exemption from co-payment within the scope of the health insurance benefits when going for medical care at the proper level will be updated on the data receiving portal of the Health Information System on Review and Assessment and the VSS Portal. Accordingly, the participant's information on health insurance was updated on the data receiving portal of the Health Information System on Review and Assessment and the VSS Portal. Therefore, in spite of changing to the new model health insurance card, information about the participants' health insurance benefits has been saved in the system to serve the medical care under health insurance. Therefore, participants are able to use the new or old model health insurance card for medical care under health insurance and enjoy benefits according to the subjects they participate in.

Procedures for issuing new model health insurance cards are still implemented in accordance with the current regulations

The process of issuing new model health insurance cards continues to be implemented in accordance with Decision No. 595/QD-BHXH, Decision No. 505/QD-BHXH and guiding documents on the current health insurance cards of VSS.

The insured and the employer can apply for the health insurance card directly at the social insurance agency or perform procedures for changing the health insurance card on the National Public Service Portal (at www.dichvucong.gov.vn).

Note: In case of electronic transactions, the enterprise shall perform the procedure for changing the health insurance card and create the dossier using the declaration software of the VSS or the I-VAN organization; Sign the application electronically and send it to the

VSS Portal or I-VAN.

With the use of the new model health insurance card from April 1, 2021, the participants of health insurance will be supported more conveniently in the process of applying for the card, preserving and using the card to receive medical care under health insurance. The new form of health insurance card is one of the effective administrative reform solutions of the Vietnamese social insurance industry, ensuring the best health insurance benefits for participants and facilitating health insurance facilities and social insurance agencies in the process of implementing the health insurance policy./.