The supervisory team comprised leaders from various units under Vietnam Social Security (VSS), the VSS’ BOC Office, and members from the Support Team of the VSS MOC from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs (MOLISA), the attendees of Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office, included the Director, Deputy Directors, heads of relevant departments, district-level Social Security offices, and representatives from the City's Post Office.

The Supervisory Delegation of  VSS' BOC conducts a working session at the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office.

In his opening remarks, Nguyen Van Cuong stated: According to the Plan No. 689/KH-HDQL of VSS’ BOC, the Board carried out supervision on the implementation of social and health insurance policies in Ho Chi Minh City from November 22nd to November 23rd. The delegation supervised social and health insurance policy implementation with HCM Social Security, hospitals signing contracts on health insurance services, and enterprises to survey and grasp the situation regarding policy implementation and resolution of regimes and policies. Following this, the delegation concluded its activities with a working session with the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee.

Nguyen Van Cuong urged the city's Social Security Office, City Post Office, district Social Security offices, and authorities to provide specific reports and opinions regarding social insurance collection, expenditure, and outstanding debts concerning social, health, and occupational accident insurance…. particularly focused on addressing remaining difficulties and obstacles. Addressing to the representatives from the MOH and the MOLISA participating in the delegation, Comrade Nguyen Van Cuong also requested an open exchange of challenges, issues, and recommendations regarding the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the area. He emphasized, "Based on the information gathered and supervised, the delegation will draw conclusions and make recommendations to relevant authorities to resolve issues and further enhance social security work in Ho Chi Minh City in general and the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the locality."

Implementing social and health insurance policies amidst numerous challenges

During the working session, Mr. Lo Quan Hiep, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office, presented a summary report on the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the area from 2021 to 2023. According to the report, during the period from 2021 to 2023, both the national and Ho Chi Minh City's economies faced various difficulties and challenges due to the prolonged and complicated developments of the COVID-19 pandemic and political instability worldwide. Supply chains were disrupted, industrial production declined, import-export activities decreased, and trade growth was sluggish. Some businesses in sectors such as textile-garment, footwear, wood processing, and real estate encountered operational difficulties, leading to labor force reduction due to a lack of orders. Some businesses required more labors recruitment but faced recruitment challenges.

These circumstances directly had bad effect on the implementation of social and health insurance policies in the locality, particularly in revenue collection and the participant expansion. Despite these challenges, the Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office, in close adherence to the guidance from the Party Committee, local authorities, and the VSS’ BOC, achieved numerous positive outcomes in implementing social and health insurance policies.

The number of social, health and labor accident insurance participants consistently increased over the years, surpassing the set targets assigned by VSS’ BOC. Currently, the city has over 121,000 units, organizations, and enterprises participating in social insurance and health insurance, encompassing more than 2.5 million social insurance participants and nearly 8 million health insurance participants. The average monthly expenditure for social, labor accident and health insurance is approximately 5,000 billion VND.

The activities involving revenue collection for social, health and labor accident insurance consistently met and exceeded the annual targets by 8% to 15%. The resolution and disbursement of social and labor accident insurance policies were timely and complete for participants, contributing to stabilizing people's livelihoods, especially during the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment and income. Rigorous monitoring of social and labor accident insurance entitlements and the prevention of misuse and fund loss were conducted. There was an increased emphasis on non-cash payment methods in disbursing social and occupational accident insurance policies, as per the government and social security VSS BOC's directives. The adoption of information technology and digital transformation in the activities of the Social Security offices was vigorously pursued, creating convenient conditions for citizens, organizations, and businesses.

Lo Quan Hiep – Director of Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office reported to the Supervisory Delegation

Evaluating the difficulties and challenges

Apart from the achieved results, during the working session, the leader of Ho Chi Minh City Social Security Office, functional sectors, and district-level Social security offices raised several existing limitations and current challenges in the implementation of social and health insurance policies. They also made various proposals and suggestions to representatives from the MOH and the MOLISA.

It was noted that the number of in social, health, and unemployment insurance participants in the city has increased over the years; however, it has not reached the desired levels. There is still a high amount of overdue payments for social, health and unemployment insurance. The exploration and development expansion of voluntary social insurance participants still face constraints. The cost of healthcare covered by health insurance in 2023 has increased significantly, making it challenge to balance the allocated budget. Most healthcare facilities covered by health insurance in the area have effectively linked and shared health insurance medical examination and treament data with the Health Insurance Medical Review System. Nevertheless, some healthcare facilities have not complied with the Ministry of Health's regulations on data standardization, data sharing, and the transfer of patient treatment costs to the medical review after completing treatment. The workload of the City Social security Office is excessively large; apart from updating fluctuations and adjustments in the software, social security officers also have to cross-reference, inspect, check, make phone calls to prompt and remind units, and provide guidance to these units. The workforce is severely inadequate (as of now, the entire city lacks 136 personnel compared to the assigned amount), leading to a significant backlog of files.

At the meeting, representatives from the Ho Chi Minh City Post Office provided information on their collaboration with the Social security office in expanding voluntary social insurance participants and household health insurance. By the end of October 2023, the Post Office had achieved 92% of the assigned plan for expanding new household health insurance coverage and is confident of completing the plan of this year. However, the expansion of voluntary social insurance participants faces numerous difficulties, particularly number of new participants, has only reached 37% of the plan, and new enrollments gains 8% of the assigned target.

Based on the report from the city's Social Security office and the feedback from various units, members of the Supervisory Delegation, and leadership from affiliated units of the Social security BOC, such as Contribution Collection – Insurance Book & Card Department, SI Implementation department, HI implementation Department, Inspection Department, Media Center, Center for Medical Review and Tertiary Care and Payments, and Information Technology Center, it was evaluated that the City Social security office had closely followed the directives from the Social security BOC in fulfilling its tasks and achieved numerous positive outcomes. However, there are still many difficulties and challenges, including both nationwide and local issues. The leadership of these units offered several solutions and suggestions to help the City Social security office improve its implementation of social and health insurance policies in the future.

Representatives from the MOLISA, as well as the MOH, provided evaluations of the implementation results of social  and health insurance policies in Ho Chi Minh City. They addressed some recommendations and suggested that the City Social Insurance Security Office intensify efforts in expanding social, health and unemployment insurance participants. Furthermore, they emphasized the need to address cases of evading social insurance payments and to enhance the review of tax data. The City Social security office was advised to strengthen collaboration with the Department of Health in managing health insurance-related expenses, intensifying inspection and examination tasks, issue warnings, and detecting irregular and non-compliant expenses.

Deputy Chairman in charge of the social security management Board

Deputy Chairman specialized in VSS Board of Commissioner Nguyen Van Cuong concludes the working session

Accelerating Coverage and Reducing social  and health insurance Debts

In conclusion of the working session, Deputy Chairman specialized in VSS Board of Commisioner, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong, highly praised the recent achievements of Ho Chi Minh City's Social security office. Based on the reported figures regarding the revenue from health, social and unemployment insurance in the city, it was noted that the workload of the City's Social security office in terms of procedures and tasks is significant, comparable to that of multiple provinces combined in terms of revenue and the number of participants in social insurance, health insurance, and unemployment insurance programs.

Presently, the number of mandatory participants in social Insurance in Ho Chi Minh City is nearly 2.6 million people, surpassing the target set in Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW. However, Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong mentioned that this figure still doesn't meet the targets set by the Government and the VSS for 2023. With a population of approximately 9 million, including over 4.6 million within the working age, Ho Chi Minh City represents a very large labor market with considerable potential for increasing participant numbers, despite facing certain difficulties in the labor market and business production. To achieve the set targets for 2023, Mr. Cuong suggested that the City's Social security enhance strategies to increase participation, especially in voluntary social insurance. This entails a concentrated effort in boosting communication efforts, particularly regarding new focal points and enhancing the benefits of the draft Law on Social security currently being presented to the National Assembly. Communication efforts need to be more widespread and comprehensive, providing complete information about new policies to ensure public understanding and support before the enactment of the law, as these policies directly impact people's rights, encouraging active participation. Continued collaboration with the postal sector is crucial for sustainable development of new participants according to the prescribed plan. Additionally, accelerating the rate at which people enjoy social insurance benefits, occupational accident benefits, and managing beneficiaries through the postal system is imperative. Enhancing administrative procedure reform, implementing information technology, digital transformation, overcoming past limitations, and expediting non-cash payment methods in beneficiary transactions are equally essential. The City's Social security also needs to closely coordinate with the Department of Finance and the Department of Labor, Invalids, and Social Affairs to advise the City People's Committee on policies to support disadvantaged individuals, near-poor households, students, and scholars participating in ensuring accessibility and utilization of social welfare policies. Particularly, this support duration for these groups should be sufficiently extended to aid poverty eradication and circumstances resolution.

For the health Insurance domain, from the beginning of the year until now, there have been over 16.8 million instances of health insurance usage throughout the City. By the end of 2023, this number is expected to reach approximately 18 million instances, indicating a higher frequency of health insurance use in the area compared to the national average. The City's Social security needs strategies to control issues related to patient transfers, strengthen inspection, detection, and warning of cases with deviations in regulations or unnecessary medication and supplies. Increased control and information cross-verification between paper and electronic records are also essential.

The debt ratio of social insurance, health Insurance, and unemployment insurance in the City is currently at 7.54% of the total receivable amount, higher than the national average. The provincial Social security needs measures to reduce this ratio by intensifying inspection, examination, and sanctions. Communication efforts must continue to be strengthened, innovating in content, form, in line with local situations, public awareness, and perceptions, emphasizing digital communication solutions. Continuous and frequent inspections and examinations are vital as they have proven to be highly effective measures. The City's Social security should request additional personnel or seek support solutions from VSS to meet the specific demands of the locality.

Regarding information technology, there are several shortcomings that do not adequately support the operations of the City's Social security. Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong proposed that the Information Technology Center should incorporate proposals and recommendations from the units and report to VSS to seek support and upgrades for the City's Social Insurance operations, thereby reducing the workload for the workforce.

On behalf of the Supervision Delegation, Deputy Chairman in charge of the Social Insurance Council Mr. Nguyen Van Cuong has taken on board the proposals and recommendations from the City's Social security and various units during the working session. Moreover, he directed the Office of the Social security Council to consolidate the challenges and obstacles faced by Ho Chi Minh City's Social security for further deliberation by the Council for decision-making based on assignments or delegation, or forwarding to relevant authorities for consideration and resolution.

Following the working session with the City's Social security, the program continued with working sessions, surveys, and an understanding of medical examination and treatment and fund utilization at health facilities and enterprises in the area on the afternoon of November 22nd and the morning of November 23rd. The sessions focused on working methods for medical examination and treatment for those with health insurance cards, utilizing information technology in medical examination and treatment, and the assessment of providing social insurance, health insurance, sick leave, and maternity benefits for workers./.