Reporting to the Supervisory Delegation on the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the province over the past time, Director of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province's social security office - Pham Ngoc Son - affirmed that, under the direction of the Provincial Party Committee, the Provincial People's Committee and the VSS; along with the coordination of relevant departments, agencies, and organizations, the implementation of policies on social, health and unemployment insurance in Ba Ria - Vung Tau province has achieved numerous positive results. Specifically, by the end of July 2022, the total number of participants of social, health and unemployment insurance is 1.4 million, an increase of 4,649 people (6.5%) compared to the same period in 2021. In which, the number of voluntary social insurance participants is 21,532, the number of unemployment insurance participants is 217,013 people, and the number of health insurance participants is 1,067,971 people, reaching the health insurance coverage rate of 93.88% of the population; the number of participants in medical treatment covered by health insurance in the whole province is 6,312,643 turns of people.

Administrative procedure reform has been promoted in accordance with the regulations of the industry, reviewed to propose amendments and supplements to regulations on documents, processes and procedures for handling administrative procedures, ensuring they are resolved quickly, completely and in a timely manner. At the same time, it is crucial to supplement the time limit for implementing professional procedures for handling administrative procedures in the field of social, health and unemployment insurance at the provincial social security agency according to the new regulations of the VSS; install configuration, procedures on 3.0 software to meet the needs of receiving and returning administrative procedure results, ensuring full resolution of policies and regimes for employers and employees facing difficulties due to Covid 19 pandemic.

Deputy Minister of Home Affairs - Member of the VSS Board of Commissioners Nguyen Duy Thang delivered a speech at the meeting.

The inspection and examination of law observance in the province has effectively affected the collection and collection of social, health and unemployment insurance debts. By the end of July 2022, the provincial social security agency has participated in inter-sectoral inspection at 18 units, carried out specialized inspection at 109 employers; examined 122 employment applications; 207 times at collection agents, 26 times at health care facilities and health insurance, 33 times at internal inspection at district-level professional offices and social security agencies.

Besides the results achieved in the past time, Director of Provincial Social Security Office Pham Ngoc Son said that there are difficulties and inadequacies remaining in the locality, which is the development of participants of social, health and unemployment insurance in the locality facing difficulties; the number of participants in the policy decreased significantly compared to the same period last year, mainly due to the impact of the Covid-19 epidemic, which made people's income unstable. On the other hand, since the beginning of 2022, the minimum level as a basis for payment has increased from VND 700,000 to VND 1,500,000 according to Decree No. 07/2021/ND-CP dated January 27, 2021 stipulating multi-dimensional poverty lines in rural areas for the period of 2021–2025, putting financial pressure on people who re-enter and challenges in new participant development.

Deputy General Director of VSS Tran Dinh Lieu delivered a speech at the meeting.

At the meeting, representatives of a number of businesses and medical treatment facilities in the province raised a number of proposals and recommendations. One of the representatives of the Provincial Post Office said that in recent years, given the best conditions by the provincial social security agency in performing the welfare task, the Post Office has really become an extension arm to implement the social and health insurance policies to ensure social security in the locality.

Director of Provincial Social Security Office - Pham Ngoc Son - reported on the situation of tasks in the past time.

Regarding medical treatment covered by health insurance, representatives of leaders of the provincial General Hospital, East-West General Clinic Ba Ria - Vung Tau made proposals related to the payment and settlement of medical expenses; bidding for drugs, medical supplies, etc. to ensure the benefits for patients but also to effectively use the Fund.

Representatives of enterprises in the province made recommendations and proposals at the meeting.

Agreeing and highly appreciating the results achieved by the Social Security Office of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, Deputy General Director Tran Dinh Lieu requested that the provincial social security agency should continue to promote the advisory work of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council and Provincial People's Committee in the implementation of social and health insurance policies.

Deputy General Director Tran Dinh Lieu noted that, on the basis of the achieved results, Ba Ria - Vung Tau Social Security Office needs to research to have more effective solutions and methods, especially to strengthen solutions on revenue collection and participant development; strengthen propaganda and dissemination of policies and laws on social, health insurance, etc.

The representative of the Provincial Post Office delivered a speech at the meeting.

*** On the same day, the Supervisory Delegation of the Board of Commissioners had a meeting with the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province on the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the province.

At the meeting, Vice Chairman of Ba Ria - Vung Tau Provincial People's Committee Le Ngoc Khanh affirmed that the People's Committee and People's Council of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province always pay close attention to directing in the implementation of policies on social, health and unemployment insurance and issued various documents directing departments, agencies, local authorities at all levels, to strengthen propaganda and implementation of social and health insurance policies for employees and people in the province. However, in the implementation process, there are shortcomings and limitations such as the advisory work of relevant departments and branches is not quite effective, leading to arrears of social insurance, and overspending of the health insurance fund; expenditure supervision is not close to the requirements; the bidding for drugs and medical supplies is not close to the actual situation.

The Supervisory Delegation of the Board of Commissioners supervises the implementation of policies in the province.

Along with that, many production and business enterprises have been facing difficulties, leading to inertia, evasion of responsibility for paying social and health insurance premiums, or large amounts of debt in prolonged time. Many businesses deliberately evade payment, cross arrears, and appropriate money to pay social, health and unemployment insurance premiums.

Regarding the direction of tasks in the coming time, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province Le Ngoc Khanh said that he will continue to direct the provincial social security agency to review and advise the Provincial People's Committee to take measures to strictly implement the policy on social and health insurance; promote the development of subjects participating in social, health and unemployment insurance; strengthen the state management of arrears collection of social, health and unemployment insurance; procurement of drugs and medical supplies.

Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province Le Ngoc Khanh outlined the direction and tasks in developing and ensuring social security in the province in the coming time.

Concluding the meeting, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs - Head of Supervisory Delegation Nguyen Duy Thang highly appreciated and praised the achievements of the Ba Ria - Vung Tau province's social security office. However, the Deputy Minister asked the industry to analyze and clarify the reasons why the development of participants in social, health and unemployment insurance in the province has not been effective in order to have timely solutions.

Overview image of the working session of the Supervisory Board of the VSS Board of Commissioners with Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Duy Thang also emphasized that the monitoring team fully absorbed the recommendations made at the meeting. On that basis, the Board of Commissioners shall receive them to recommend relevant agencies to amend and supplement, helping to improve the implementation of social and health insurance policies./.