Issuing and renewing health insurance cards in 2022: Ensuring benefits for health insurance participants

Provincial Social InsuranceHealth insurance cards are only issued to newly registered cases; health insurance cards with changed information; lost or damaged health insurance cards according to regulations.Participants continue to usehealth insurance cardprovided for medical examination and treatment. However, it is important that all rights of health insurance participants are still guaranteed.

Ensuring benefits for people with health insurance cards

As of December 31, 2021, Nghe An Social Insurance has completed the extension and issuance of 2022 health insurance cards to health insurance participants belonging to the group of employees working in enterprises, state agencies, public service units, socio-political organizations; groups of State budget contributions such as the elderly, people with meritorious services to the revolution, veterans, social protection, people living in areas with especially difficult socio-economic conditions, relatives of people with meritorious services to the revolution... This has created favorable conditions for people with health insurance cards to feel secure when going to medical facilities for examination and treatment.

Presenting health insurance cards to poor members in Dien Chau. Photo by Mai Giang

Referring to this, Ms. Tran Thi Van Anh - Accountant of Hanoi 30.9 Housing Investment and Development Joint Stock Company (headquartered at 59, Nguyen Thi Minh Khai Street, Vinh City) immediately said: "It's so convenient, now just a brief announcement to everyone in the company can rest assured to go to medical facilities for examination and treatment. Everyone is excited". Ms. Van Anh added that now employees in the company do not have to worry about waiting for new cards to be printed, the cards can be used continuously. In particular, there are no more cases of delayed card issuance, making it difficult to go to medical examination and treatment. Moreover, we also do not need to waste time making a list and sending it to the Social Security agency every year to reissue new cards like before.

Sharing the same sentiment as Ms. Van Anh, Ms. Dang Thi Tuyet - Accountant of Ben Thanh Trading and Service Company Limited (headquartered in Vinh City) shared: "At the end of the year, the company is very busy. The fact that the Social Insurance Department extends the health insurance card on the data helps us have more time to solve other outstanding tasks, and the employees are also more secure."

When asked about using health insurance cards when going to see a doctor or get medical treatment, Mr. Nguyen Huu Ha (employee of Ben Thanh Trading and Service Company Limited) excitedly said: “It is extremely convenient when I go to medical facilities for medical examination and treatment, I just need to open the VssID application for medical staff to be guided to medical examination and treatment immediately without having to show my health insurance card. I am very satisfied with these utilities and hope that the Social Insurance industry will have more utilities so that the industry will always be a safe support for all people”.

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

Further clarifying the annual renewal and issuance of health insurance cards in the area, Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Hai - Head of the Book and Card Issuance Department (Nghe An Social Insurance) said: The renewal and issuance of health insurance cards in 2022 has been completed by us since December 2021, ensuring health insurance card data so that people can go for health insurance examination and treatment. As of December 31, 2021, the whole province has renewed and issued new health insurance cards for nearly 2.8 million people, of which over 800,000 health insurance cards have been renewed based on the industry's management data.

Those who are using the old health insurance card model as stipulated in Decision No. 1313/QD-BHXH dated December 2, 2014 of Vietnam Social Security and have not yet changed to the new health insurance card model can still use it to receive medical examination and treatment at medical facilities.In addition, health insurance participants can also use the card image in the VssID application to replace the paper health insurance card for health insurance examination and treatment.

Efforts to implement health insurance policies so that people can access benefits

According to Decree No. 07/2021/ND-CP of the Government, from 2022 to 2025, a household is considered a poor household if it meets the following criteria: Average income from 2 million VND/person/month or less in urban areas and from 1.5 million VND or less in rural areas; lack of 3 or more indicators measuring the level of lack of basic social services (basic social services include: Employment; health; education; housing; domestic water and sanitation; information). This will be the group of people who will benefit from the State's support policies, including the health insurance policy.

Giving health insurance cards to people in households with average living standards in Hung Chinh commune (Vinh city). Photo courtesy of Thanh Chung

Based on the direction of Vietnam Social Security, Nghe An Social Security has advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document urging localities to promptly compile a list of health insurance cards for subjects under the multidimensional poverty line and transfer it to the social security agency to issue health insurance cards before January 1, 2022. As a result, by December 31, 2021, the issuance of cards to people had been completed, accordingly, more than 277,000 people from poor and near-poor households continued to be renewed, and cards were issued, of which 167,000 people were renewed and 110,000 people were issued new health insurance cards in 2022. Compared to 2021, the number of people from poor and near-poor households participating in health insurance increased by more than 97,000 people.

In addition, in order to ensure continuous health insurance benefits for people, while waiting for the Prime Minister to approve the List of extremely disadvantaged communes in coastal areas for the period 2021-2026, the Social Insurance, Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, and the Ethnic Minorities Committee have proactively coordinated and reported to the Provincial People's Committee to allow people living in extremely disadvantaged communes in coastal areas that have not been recognized as meeting new rural standards to continue to enjoy the policy. Specifically, people living in Dien Van and Dien Bich communes (Dien Chau district) continue to enjoy this policy with nearly 17,500 people.

People register for health insurance examination. Photo: Document

In 2022, Nghe An province will also issue health insurance cards to a number of new groups of people such as: wives or husbands of martyrs who marry another man or woman and raise their children to adulthood or take care of their biological fathers or mothers when they are still alive or because of revolutionary activities, they do not have the conditions to take care of their biological fathers or mothers when they are still alive according to the provisions of the Ordinance on preferential treatment for people with revolutionary contributions; other groups of people in difficult circumstances not yet specified in Decree No. 20/2021/ND-CP of the Government on social assistance policies for social protection beneficiaries, whose health insurance is paid by the provincial budget according to Resolution No. 30/NQ-HDND dated December 9, 2021 of the People's Council of Nghe An province.

Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Hai - Head of Book and Card Issuance Department (Nghe An Social Insurance)

Up to now, the poor and people in difficult circumstances have basically received support from the budget to pay for health insurance, helping them access medical services and take care of their own health. These are humane policies of our Party and State, which are even more meaningful during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

PV