Nghe An: Reached the milestone of 100,000 people participating in voluntary social insurance

Synchronously deploy multiple solutions

2021 is the second year that the whole industry has made efforts to implement the social insurance target in the spirit of Resolution 28-NQ/TW of the Party Central Committee on reforming social insurance policies. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe damage to the economy and affected the social life of the entire population. The work of developing and expanding the number of participants in social insurance, health insurance in general and voluntary social insurance in particular has encountered many difficulties and challenges.

Identifying and forecasting those difficulties, in order to increase the number of voluntary social insurance participants commensurate with potential and requirements; Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance has made efforts to synchronously deploy many solutions, with the determination to bring Resolution No. 28 into life.

Consulting for workers at the Social Insurance Agency of Hung Nguyen district. Photo courtesy of My Ha

Accordingly, the Nghe An Social Insurance sector has strengthened coordination with relevant agencies to advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee to direct functional branches to continue to closely coordinate with the Social Insurance sector in implementing the Programs and Plans of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and People's Committee of Nghe An province on implementing Resolution No. 28 of the Party Central Committee; advising on including the proportion of the labor force participating in social insurance in the Resolution of the 19th Provincial Party Congress, term 2020-2025; Resolution of the Provincial People's Council, term 2021-2026; Decision on assigning socio-economic targets for 2021 of the Provincial People's Committee. Coordinate with relevant departments and branches to advise the Provincial People's Committee to issue Plan No. 288/KH-UBND on organizing the Month of Mobilizing the implementation of social insurance and health insurance for all people, and propaganda activities on social insurance and health insurance in 2021.

Coordination with departments, branches, sectors, political and social organizations, and unions, which has been implemented since the beginning of the year, has promoted the strengths of the sectors in propaganda and mobilization of people to participate in voluntary social insurance. Information and communication work has therefore been implemented in many diverse, rich, flexible forms, suitable for each period.

Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance organized a conference to sign and deploy the Program of coordination in implementing policies and laws on social insurance and health insurance for the period 2021 - 2025 between the Provincial Social Insurance and the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee, the Provincial Farmers' Association, and the Provincial Women's Union. Photo: Document

Propaganda conferences and direct dialogues with people in residential areas with the participation of representatives of local Party committees, authorities, associations and unions have been increased since the first months of the year, organized at night and on weekdays according to the motto "Social Insurance officers work in the office during the day and bring policies to the people at night".

As the Covid-19 pandemic develops in a complicated manner, direct policy dissemination at the conference scale cannot be carried out.Nghe An Provincial Social InsurancePropaganda has been carried out in small groups, indirect communication via telephone, information and communication work has been strengthened on mass media; social network Facebook...; propaganda through leaflets, groups of billboards, posters promoting social insurance and health insurance policies in front of the headquarters of social insurance agencies at all levels, in front of the headquarters of the People's Committees of wards and communes with many meaningful messages. In particular, the provincial Social Insurance has creatively organized online conferences through the Zoom application. This is considered an effective, appropriate and safe form of propaganda against the Covid-19 epidemic.

Nghe An Social Insurance officers advise people to participate in voluntary social insurance and family health insurance. Photo: Duc Anh

In 2021, the whole province organized more than 1,300 conferences to propagate social insurance and health insurance policies in hamlets, villages and hamlets (including 17 online conferences) to propagate regulations on voluntary social insurance and family health insurance; to propagate so that people understand the meaning of participating in voluntary social insurance.

The provincial Social Insurance has continuously promoted the effectiveness of the social insurance collection agent system in propagating and mobilizing people to participate in voluntary social insurance. During the Covid-19 pandemic, agent staff went to every alley and knocked on every door to bring the voluntary social insurance policy to each person.

Policy is increasingly widespread

The efforts of the entire Nghe An Social Insurance sector have brought about positive results. By the end of November 2021, the entire sector had reached the milestone of 100,000 people participating in voluntary social insurance; it is expected that by the end of 2021, the number of people participating in voluntary social insurance will reach over 100,257 people, exceeding the target assigned by Vietnam Social Insurance.

The important thing is that from specific solutions, policies have spread to each household, so that each person understands the meaning and benefits that voluntary social insurance brings to themselves. For example, Mr. Tran Van Ngoan (born in 1960) in Quang Trung ward (Vinh city). Mr. Ngoan participated in social insurance from January 2009 to November 2020 at Vinafood 1 Flour Joint Stock Company. By November 2020, Mr. Ngoan was old enough to retire according to regulations, but the time of participating in social insurance was only 11 years and 11 months. After researching and being advised by the social insurance collection agent, Mr. Ngoan decided to pay voluntary social insurance at once for the remaining years. And by January 2021, Mr. Ngoan began to enjoy retirement benefits with a pension of over 2.9 million VND/month.

Mr. Ngo Duy Cu in Phuc Loc block, Vinh Tan ward (Vinh city) said that if his income was more stable, he and his wife would definitely participate in social insurance with a higher contribution rate than now. Photo courtesy

Or the case of Mr. Ngo Duy Cu (born in 1972) in Phuc Loc block, Vinh Tan ward (Vinh city). Mr. Cu shared: Both husband and wife are self-employed (Mr. Cu is a construction worker, his wife sells vegetables and fruits at the market). However, when the collection agent propagated, he clearly saw the humanity that voluntary social insurance brought to him when he was old and weak. Mr. Cu discussed with his wife and decided to participate in voluntary social insurance. He and his wife were very happy and very secure because when they both retired, it was also the time when they would receive pensions and health care from the health insurance card.

Ensuring people's rights when participating in voluntary social insurance

To ensure the rights of people when participating in voluntary social insurance, Nghe An Social Insurance continues to implement solutions to accelerate administrative reform progress, apply IT in performing tasks to promptly resolve regimes and policies for social insurance participants; continue to implement electronic transactions; promote propaganda, guide people to register for online public services, deploy the VssID-Social Insurance application. Review and shorten the time to handle administrative procedures. The rate of files returning results on time is always over 99.6%.

Unemployed workers returning home complete documents to receive payment of benefits at the provincial Social Insurance. Photo courtesy of Nguyen Hai

Forecasting that 2022 will still face many difficulties and challenges, especially in the context of the extremely complicated developments of the Covid-19 epidemic, Nghe An Social Insurance continues to proactively advise the Provincial Party Committee, People's Council, and Provincial People's Committee in directing the implementation of voluntary social insurance policies in the locality; promote propaganda work on voluntary social insurance policies in practical forms and contents, suitable for each target group; constantly strive to explore and research new ways to continue to maintain and rapidly increase the rate of people participating in voluntary social insurance; change people's habits from self-saving and hoarding for difficult times to contributing to the social insurance system to ensure their lives when they reach retirement age./.