A view of the consultation workshop on the proposal to build the Law on amendments to some articles of the Law on Health Insurance. Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

Addressing the workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan said, the health insurance coverage rate has been increasing rapidly. The health insurance coverage rate was 58 per cent of the population in 2019, but by 2023, it had reached 93.35 per cent of the population, equivalent to 93.307 million people joining the health insurance scheme.

Concurrently, the number of people using health insurance cards for medical examination and treatment services has also increased year after year. By the end of 2023, there were approximately 174.8 million people who received health insurance-based medical examination and treatment services, with an expenditure of around VND124,3 trillion (nearly US$ 4.9 billion).  

The health deputy minister added that the benefits of health insurance participants are increasingly expanding, and access to healthcare services covered by health insurance is becoming more convenient. The lists of medicines, medical supplies, and technical services are used according to professional capacity and specialised technical lines, ensuring the rights and benefits of health insurance card holders when they go to medical facilities, whilst also requiring the improvement of the technical expertise of medical facilities.

However, he reiterated that besides achievements, the Law on Health Insurance 2008 and the Law amending and supplementing some articles of the Law on Health Insurance 2014 have some provisions that are no longer suitable for the socio-economic development and there are some new issues arising in practice.

Of note, the changes in the regulations on medical examination and treatment of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023 require a review, evaluation and revision of the Health Insurance Law to align with the new regulations of the legal system and reality.

According to the Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan, Vietnam is the 15th most populous country in the world and is entering a phase of population aging, with disease patterns changing, increased non-communicable diseases, and increased demand for treatment. And there is a trend towards advanced treatment to ensure equal rights for all citizens in healthcare. There is also demand for equal responsibilities towards and benefits in using health insurance-based medical examination and treatment services as well as in the access to related services.

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Over the past time, the Ministry of Health has quickly conducted a research and made proposals to build the Law on amendments to some articles of the Law on Health Insurance.

"In the process of building the Law, the Ministry of Health has worked with the Ministry of Justice and relevant ministries and sectors to review and agree to focus on making maximum revisions and amendments to address emerging and existing issues. Some issues have been fully provided with information, data, and achieved high consensus, with some contents have been updated and legalised as prescribed in relevant legal documents,” said Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan.

He added that "it is essential to revise and supplement the provisions of the Law on Health Insurance which are related to changing regulations on salary according to Resolution No 27-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee and regulations on professional expertise according to the Law on Examination and Treatment No 15/2023/QH15…".

Head of the Ministry of Health’s Health Insurance Department Tran Thi Trang said the Ministry of Health focuses on four key policies, including: (1) adjusting the participants of the health insurance system in line with relevant laws; (2) adjusting the scope of health insurance benefits in accordance with contribution levels, balancing the Health Insurance Fund and healthcare requirements in each stage; (3) adjusting relevant health insurance regulations according to the level of specialised technical care and leveraging the role of grassroots healthcare in primary healthcare and health insurance-based medical examination and treatment; (4) efficiently allocating the use of the Health Insurance Fund.

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According to Trang, the amendments to health insurance policies aim to ensure that people can participate in health insurance scheme according to appropriate target groups and ensure that health insurance benefits meet the needs of individuals in healthcare, professional requirements and the ability to pay from the Health Insurance Fund. Additionally, it aims to promote fairness and convenience in the supply and use of health insurance services; improve the effectiveness of grassroots healthcare facilities and primary healthcare, contributing to comprehensive management of people’s health; enhance the efficiency of the management and use of the Health Insurance Fund; and synchronise with the current relevant legal system related to health insurance.

"Resolving the existing urgent and irrational issues after 15 years of implementing the Law on Health Insurance; and concretising and selectively inheriting the regulations that are effective in practice, and suitable for socio-economic conditions will create a favourable legal framework for adjusting and improving policies and laws on health insurances,” said Trang./.