Changing health insurance code, what benefits do people get?

From April 1, many health insurance participants in Ho Chi Minh City must change their health insurance cards according to their social insurance codes (new card model).

This will bring many benefits to both the people and the health insurance management agency, meeting the requirements for centralized database management nationwide of the social insurance industry.

Accordingly, 1.6 million people participating in Health Insurance in Ho Chi Minh City will have their Health Insurance cards changed according to their Social Insurance codes.

These are subjects such as: Retired cadres, children under 6 years old, people with revolutionary contributions, people receiving monthly social insurance benefits, people participating in family health insurance, veterans, people participating in resistance wars, relatives of martyrs, relatives of people with revolutionary contributions, people serving people with revolutionary contributions.

As for people with meritorious services to the revolution, veterans, resistance fighters, relatives of people with meritorious services to the revolution, relatives of martyrs, people serving people with meritorious services to the revolution, people receiving monthly social security benefits and children under 6 years old, the agency managing those subjects, specifically the Department of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs of districts, People's Committees of communes, wards and towns will issue new Health Insurance cards to the subjects before the card is valid.

According to Ms. Luu Thi Thanh Huyen - Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance, the new Health Insurance card will have a code that matches the code of the Social Insurance card, valid from May 1, 2018, and the card will not have the "validity until" as before.

This is to better manage the subjects, because the card code will play a role in identifying each person, helping to control the issue of duplicate cards, overcoming the situation of changes such as printing and reissuing annually, causing costly expenses.

Meanwhile, people's rights remain unchanged. When going to hospitals or medical facilities for medical examination and treatment, cardholders only need to remember the code or take a photo on their smartphone, and the data will have full information about their previous medical examination and treatment history.

Ms. Luu Thi Thanh Huyen said: "From now on, these subjects do not need to come to get the card. They only need to know the expiration date and transfer money to the Social Security agency account or pay at the agent, the software will update the value. People also do not need to come to get the card anymore."

Previously, since February 2018, the card exchange was notified by Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance and Social Insurance of 24 districts of the city to the following units: Department of Labor - Invalids and Social Affairs of 24 districts, People's Committees of communes, wards, towns, and city post offices for coordination in implementation.

Currently, Health Insurance cards with Social Insurance codes have been printed and are being handed over to units to distribute to people. In addition to the 1.6 million people in the above subjects, the City Social Insurance will coordinate with units to complete the issuance of cards to the remaining people after next April.

Ms. Dang Thi Thao, living in Binh Thanh district, said that changing the Health Insurance code will create conditions for people to go to the doctor without a card. If they forget it at home or lose it, they can still go to the doctor.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Thu, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance, in case of changing the Health Insurance card according to the Social Insurance code but the information is incorrect compared to the old card, the Health Insurance participant should contact the Social Insurance agency that issued the card to have the card changed immediately. In case of objective reasons, the new Health Insurance card has not been received or the new card has been received but the old card is still used for medical examination and treatment, this agency has issued a specific instruction document to the Health Insurance medical examination and treatment facilities to resolve and receive medical examination and treatment to ensure the rights of Health Insurance participants.

The new Health Insurance Card is valid from May 1, 2018, while the old Health Insurance Card is valid until April 30, 2018. However, to facilitate people, medical facilities will still accept patients using the old Health Insurance Card until June 30, 2018./.