Nghe An: Striving to have 95% of people participating in health insurance by 2025

After 8 years of implementing Resolution 21-NQ/TW, dated November 22, 2012 of the Politburo on strengthening the Party's leadership over Social Insurance (SI) and Health Insurance (HI) for the period 2012 - 2020 (abbreviated as Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW), Nghe An has achieved many remarkable results, the SI and HI policies have increasingly affirmed their important position as the main pillar of the social security system.

Outstanding results

Over the past 8 years, based on the Party's goals and viewpoints on social insurance and health insurance policies in Resolution 21-NQ/TW, Nghe An has mobilized the participation of the entire political system from the province to the grassroots. Party committees, authorities, departments, branches, sectors and organizations have developed programs, plans and effectively implemented the goals set out in the resolution. In the process of directing the implementation, the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee have promptly issued many documents directing the implementation.social insurance and health insurance policies,unemployment insurance (UI) suitable for the requirements of each stage.

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

In particular, after the 5-year review of the implementation of Resolution No. 21-NQ/TW and after the promulgation of the amended and supplemented Law on Social Insurance 2014, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee issued 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 in Nghe An province; Official Dispatch No. 1700-CV/TU, dated December 22, 2016, on the implementation of the Law on Social Insurance and the Law on Health Insurance in the province; The Provincial People's Committee issued Plan No. 216/KH-UBND, dated April 15, 2016, on the implementation of the Law on Social Insurance 2014 and documents guiding its implementation in Nghe An province; Plan No. 78/KH-UBND.VX, dated February 5, 2015, implementing the amended Law on Health Insurance 2014 in accordance with new regulations and local conditions.

The synchronous coordination between agencies, departments, branches, Party committees and authorities at all levels has many innovations in content, direction methods and implementation methods, especially the contents specified in Action Program No. 22-CT/TU; promptly resolving difficulties in implementing social insurance and health insurance policies in the area.

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

The general objectives in Action Program No. 22-CTr/TU have been implemented and achieved certain results. Social insurance and health insurance policies and regimes have been fully, promptly and accurately implemented, bringing benefits to the people. The expansion and development of the number of participants in social insurance, health insurance and unemployment insurance each year has always increased higher than the previous year.

In 2012, the whole province had 189,315 people participating in social insurance, accounting for 11.6% of the working-age population. By the end of 2020, the number of people participating in social insurance was 313,516 people, accounting for 17.06% of the working-age population. The number of people participating in compulsory social insurance tends to grow steadily every year in Vinh city, towns and districts with many large projects such as Nghi Loc, Dien Chau, Quynh Luu, Do Luong, Nghia Dan. The number of people participating in voluntary social insurance has increased rapidly over the years and Nghe An is always the leading province nationwide in the number of people participating in voluntary social insurance.

In particular, the target for developing health insurance participants, in 2012, 71.36% of the population participated in health insurance, by the end of December 2020, the rate reached 90.71% of the population participating in health insurance, equivalent to 2,842,723 people, exceeding the target set by the Resolution (80% of the population participating in health insurance).

Officials and employees of the Provincial Social Insurance and Nghe An Provincial Post Office organized a parade to promote health insurance and social insurance policies. Photo: Cong Kien

Medical examination and treatment facilities are increasing in number and improving in quality, the rights of patients with health insurance are increasingly guaranteed and expanded, many high-tech services with large costs have been paid for patients with health insurance cards, contributing to ensuring the rights of the people and the balance of the rapid growth of target groups.

With 546 health insurance facilities, the total cost of medical examination and treatment, outpatient treatment as well as the average cost per treatment from 2012 to 2020 is 22,245 billion VND. The average cost of an outpatient treatment increased by 167%, the average cost of an inpatient treatment increased by 223%.

The rights of patients with health insurance are increasingly guaranteed and expanded. Since 2012, many high-tech, high-cost services have been paid for patients with health insurance cards such as: Coronary artery dilation and stent placement, cancer treatment with linear accelerators, laser treatment of disc herniation...

Strive for the rate of labor force participating in social insurance to reach 26 - 27% by 2025. Photo courtesy of Thu Huyen

The state management system on social insurance has been gradually modernized and professionalized, administrative reform and application of information technology have been promoted, and service quality has been increasingly improved. Up to now, the whole province has provided 12 online public services at level 3 and level 4, helping people and businesses save time and costs in implementing administrative procedures on social insurance and health insurance. The payment of pensions, social insurance and health insurance benefits is basically resolved promptly, in accordance with the regime, through many forms of payment via personal accounts, direct payment, payment through the employer...

Efforts to increase social insurance coverage rate

Evaluating the results achieved after 8 years of implementing the Resolution, Director of the Provincial Social Insurance Hoang Van Minh affirmed: The due attention of local Party committees and authorities at all levels, the effective coordination of agencies, departments, branches and unions in the province and the active participation of employers and people in the past time have created a solid foundation for the sustainable development of social insurance, health insurance and social security policies in the area.

However, besides the achieved results, the growth rate and coverage rateSocial Insurance of Nghe An provinceis still low, quite far from the general coverage rate of the whole country and the target set in Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW, dated May 23, 2018 of the Central Executive Committee on reforming social insurance policies.

Consulting for people to participate in social insurance and health insurance at the collection agency in Le Loi ward (Vinh city). Photo: Duc Anh

In the coming time, Nghe An sets a target of social insurance coverage to achieve the rate of labor force participating in social insurance reaching 26-27% by 2025, reaching 37% by 2030; the rate of people participating in health insurance reaching 95% by 2025, reaching over 95% by 2030.

To achieve that goal, as the agency implementing social insurance and health insurance policies in the area, Nghe An Provincial Social Insurance proactively advises the Provincial Party Committee and Provincial People's Committee to effectively implement the Party and State's policies on social insurance and health insurance; Continue to coordinate with local Party committees, authorities, socio-political organizations, unions, and post offices in a diverse, flexible, and professional manner in propaganda and mobilization work for people to participate in social insurance and health insurance.

Further strengthen the reform of administrative procedures, improve the quality of service to people and businesses. Continuously improve the capacity and professional skills of cadres, civil servants and public employees directly serving people and businesses; promote inspection and examination work, promptly detect and advise on strict handling of violations of the law on social insurance and health insurance; coordinate with the health sector to constantly improve the quality of medical examination and treatment; implement transparency, publicity and strengthen the management of medical examination and treatment activities to limit and prevent abuse and profiteering of the Health Insurance Fund, ensuring the rights of medical examination and treatment for the people.