VSS proposes increasing assistance for voluntary social insurance and health insurance holders (Illustrative image)

Specifically, in Official Letter No. 1179/BHXH-TST sent to the MoH and VSS, as of December 31, 2020, there were 87.93 million participants in health insurance nationwide, reaching 90.85% of the population. In which, more than 2.5 million people that belong to households working in agriculture, forestry, fishery and salt production with medium living standards participate in health insurance.

In order to achieve the goal of having 95% of the population enrolled in health insurance by 2025, according to Resolution No. 20-NQ/TW dated October 25, 2017 of the Sixth Plenary Session of the 12th Central Committee ON ENHANCEMENT OF CITIZENS’ HEALTH PROTECTION, IMPROVEMENT, AND CARE IN NEW SITUATION, VSS proposed the MoH to report and submit to the Government to raise the support level for health insurance premium payment for people in households working in agriculture and forestry, fishery and salt production with an average standard of living from 30% to 50%.

The assistance increase will facilitate more and more people, especially people with medium average living standards will be able to access, participate and benefit from the health insurance policy - one of the pillar policies of the national social security system; and an important health financing mechanism that accompanies people when they are sick or ill so that they can continue their lives.

Regarding voluntary social insurance, in Official Letter No. 1180/BHXH-TST, VSS proposed the MOLISA to report and submit to the Government to raise the support level for voluntary social insurance contributions from 30% to 50% for people of poor households, from 25% to 30% for people of near-poor households and from 10% to 20% for the rest. The increase is aimed at allowing more and more people to have their social security guaranteed after they reach the working age.

Although in recent years, the development of voluntary social insurance participants has made remarkable and impressive growth steps, but compared to the potential, the number of participants of voluntary social insurance is still quite small, especially for people from poor and near-poor households. Therefore, the proposal to increase the assistance level for participants of voluntary social insurance, especially for those from poor and near-poor households, will create conditions for them to be able to participate in voluntary social insurance, contributing part of completing the goal of universal social insurance so that all people can participate in the safety net and have the social insurance policies support and ensure their lives in old age.

The voluntary social insurance policy was established in 2008 to create opportunities for all workers in the informal sector to participate in social insurance. After 12 years of implementation, especially from the second half of 2018 until now, along with the political orientation to implement the "universal social insurance" confirmed in Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the Central Committee, the work of development of voluntary social insurance has made many breakthroughs. Specifically, from 2008 to the end of 2018, the total number of participants in voluntary social insurance reached just over 277,000. But in 2019 alone, the number of participants reached nearly 574 thousand; in which, the number of participants in voluntary social insurance increased in 2019 equal to the total number of participants in voluntary social insurance that developed in the previous 11 years combined. By the end of 2020, the number of participants in voluntary social insurance will be 1,128 million (an increase of 554 thousand, more than double compared to 2019; reaching about 2.1% of the labor force in the age group that are farmers and laborers and the informal sector participating in voluntary social insurance, exceeding the 2021 target assigned in Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the 12th Party Central Committee).