Nghe An: Efforts to achieve the goal of social insurance and health insurance coverage

Synchronously deploy multiple solutions

With the goal of covering social insurance and health insurance, the rate of labor force participating in social insurance will reach 26-27% by 2025, reaching 37% by 2030; the rate of people participating in health insurance will reach 95% by 2025, reaching 98.56% by 2030; in the period of 2016 - 2021, Nghe An Social Insurance has synchronously deployed many solutions.

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

The provincial Social Insurance always determines the leadership and direction of local authorities at all levels forsocial insurance policyis an important factor for the social insurance sector to effectively implement the goal of social insurance and health insurance coverage. Accordingly, the provincial social insurance has promptly advised the Provincial Party Committee, the People's Council, and the Provincial People's Committee to issue appropriate leadership and direction documents, closely following the practical implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies in the locality, such as: Directive No. 19-CT/TU dated January 24, 2018 of the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee on strengthening the leadership and direction of the Party on social insurance and health insurance work in the new situation; Action Program No. 88-CTr/TU dated June 20, 2019 on the implementation of Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW on reforming social insurance policies; The Provincial People's Committee established a Steering Committee for implementing social insurance and health insurance policies; Plan No. 30/KH-UBND dated January 22, 2019 on the implementation of Resolution No. 102/NQ-CP dated August 3, 2018 of the Government on assigning targets for developing social insurance participants in the period 2019-2020.

Thereby, assigning the target of developing the number of people participating in social insurance and health insurance is one of the socio-economic development targets for localities... In particular, the Resolution of the Provincial Party Congress for the 2020-2025 term includes the target of social insurance and health insurance coverage in the target for leadership and direction of implementation.

Vietnam Social Security awards certificates of merit to collectives and individuals with outstanding achievements. Photo: Thanh Chung

Along with the advisory work,Provincial Social Insurancesigned a coordination program with departments, branches, socio-political organizations, and unions to mobilize and promote the skills and strengths of the branches in information and communication work to bring social insurance and health insurance policies to the majority of people right in the villages, hamlets, and hamlets. Nghe An Social Insurance has constantly innovated its forms, been flexible in its organization, and diversified its approaches to propagate and mobilize people to participate in social insurance and health insurance; raising awareness of Party committees, authorities, and all people about the importance of social insurance and health insurance policies.

Nghe An Social Insurance always focuses on administrative reform and IT application in performing tasks, considering this one of the important tasks, a prerequisite for innovating operating methods and modernizing the social insurance sector.

Leaders of the Provincial People's Committee presented the emulation flag to the Social Insurance Office of Nghe An province. Photo: Thanh Chung

Up to now, together with the whole country, the provincial Social Insurance has basically completed the database of households participating in health insurance, effectively operated and used the system of issuing social insurance codes and managing family health insurance; the health insurance appraisal information system connecting and communicating between the social insurance agency and health insurance medical facilities nationwide; the electronic collection and payment system; the document management and operation system; the multimedia interaction system between people and businesses with the social insurance agency; implemented 100% of level 4 online public services on the industry's Public Service Portal; resolved and returned records on time and before the deadline, reaching over 99.6%; connected and shared data with information systems and databases of industries; deployed the VSSID application - digital social insurance to establish a communication channel and facilitate social insurance and health insurance participants to access information; deployed solutions to promote payment of social security services through non-cash payment methods.

Thanks to the implementation of many synchronous solutions, the number of people participating in social insurance has continuously increased over the years. In 2016, there were 229,139 participants, accounting for 13.1% of the working-age workforce, by 2020, it reached 313,516 people, accounting for 17.06% of the working-age workforce, and by the first 6 months of 2021, it reached 333,748 people, accounting for 17.95% of the working-age workforce, an increase of 45.7% compared to 2016. It is expected that by the end of 2021, there will be about 348,102 people, accounting for 19.06% of the working-age workforce, exceeding the province's socio-economic target (18.09%) by 0.97%.

In particular, the number of people and the proportion of the population participating in health insurance have increased rapidly over the years and fulfilled the target assigned by the Prime Minister. By the end of 2020, there were 2,842,723 participants, reaching a coverage rate of 90.8% of the population, exceeding by 0.8% the target assigned by the Government in Decision No. 1167/QD-TTg (90%). It is expected that by the end of 2021, Nghe An Social Insurance will issue health insurance cards to 2,915,657 people, reaching a coverage rate of 91.54% of the population, exceeding the province's socio-economic development target (91%) by 0.54%.

Many challenges remain

Although in recent times, with the participation of all levels and sectors, many solutions to develop and expand the subjects participating in social insurance and health insurance in the area have been effective, the number of people participating in social insurance and health insurance has been continuously expanded. However, the development speed and social insurance coverage rate of the province are still low, far behind the general coverage rate of the whole country and the target set in Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW of the Central Executive Committee of the Party on reforming social insurance policies; the rate of students participating in health insurance has not yet met the target assigned by the Prime Minister (100%).

People participating in voluntary social insurance receive and compare information on their social insurance books at the social insurance and health insurance collection agency in Hung Dung ward, Vinh city. Photo: Provincial Social Insurance

Some of the main causes of these limitations can be identified as follows: The attention and direction of the implementation of policies and laws on social insurance and health insurance by some local Party committees and authorities are still limited, they have not fulfilled their roles and responsibilities well in directing and organizing the implementation of policies and laws on social insurance and health insurance at the local level and units, considering the organization and implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies in general, and the work of developing and expanding the subjects participating in social insurance and health insurance as the sole tasks of social insurance agencies.

People's income and life still face many difficulties. The level of support from the state budget is still low in the context of local budgets facing many difficulties, and there are not many mechanisms and policies to support voluntary social insurance and health insurance contributions for participants.

Social Insurance implements policies to support employees and employers facing difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Illustrative photo

A number of officials, employers, workers and people do not clearly understand the regime, policies and benefits, as well as the necessity of participating in social insurance and health insurance. The sense of responsibility of employers in implementing labor declaration is not high; many enterprises deliberately circumvent the law, do not sign labor contracts, or sign contract contracts to evade the responsibility of paying social insurance and health insurance for employees.

Forecasting the coming time, due to the severe impact of the Ccovid-19 epidemic, the impact of natural disasters, to gradually complete the target of the rate of labor force participating in social insurance reaching 26 - 27% in 2025, reaching 37% in 2030; the rate of people participating in health insurance reaching 95% in 2025, reaching 98.56% in 2030; by 2045 striving to have 70% of the labor force participating in social insurance and 100% of the population participating in health insurance..., Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance continues to implement key solutions.

Focus on innovating propaganda work in both content and form in a professional and focused manner; suitable for each target group, focusing on voluntary social insurance participants, self-paid health insurance participants and workers in industrial parks and export processing zones.

Nghe An Social Insurance officers advise people to participate in social insurance and health insurance. Photo taken in 2019: Duc Anh

Establish a steering committee to implement social insurance and health insurance policies in each commune, ward and town to assign responsibility to local leaders to direct the good implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies to ensure the rights of participants; expand the number of people participating in social insurance and health insurance, especially voluntary social insurance and self-paid health insurance.

Strengthen inspection and examination of social insurance and health insurance in accordance with the law, focusing on inspection and examination of evasion, debt, profiteering, and abuse of social insurance and health insurance funds.

Promote administrative procedure reform, implement a multimedia system between people and businesses, expand the provision of level 4 online public services in all fields; promote electronic transactions; manage and use electronic documents in the social insurance agency system and on the Government's interconnection axis.

Directly disseminating and consulting on social insurance and health insurance policies for small traders in markets in the city: Photo taken in 2018, 2019: Phan Lien

In particular, the provincial Social Insurance continues to seek the direction of local Party committees and authorities at all levels in implementing Resolution Directive No. 19-CT/TU dated January 24, 2018 on strengthening the Party's leadership and direction on social insurance and health insurance in the new situation; has a plan to assign social insurance and health insurance development targets to each locality, especially the target for developing voluntary social insurance and family health insurance by 2025.

Mobilize all resources to support people to participate in health insurance, especially for near-poor households, ensuring 100% of households participate in health insurance in the following years. Support health insurance payments for agricultural, forestry and fishery households with average living standards, students from large families, and those facing economic difficulties. The local health sector needs to closely coordinate with the social insurance sector to effectively carry out health insurance examination and treatment and be responsible for ensuring the balance of the Health Insurance Examination and Treatment Fund.