Promoting progress towards achieving universal health insurance goals
On the afternoon of July 1, in Hanoi, Vietnam Social Security
Speaking at the rally, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh emphasized that with 67% of the country's population having health insurance cards, over 121 million people using health insurance cards for medical examination and treatment in 2012, health insurance has made great, practical and effective contributions to the cause of caring for and protecting people's health; contributing over 70% of direct financial resources for health insurance, of which in 2012 it was over 33 trillion VND.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh speaks at the rally (Photo: DT)
Appreciating the results achieved by the health and social insurance sectors in recent times, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that ministries, sectors, organizations and relevant units continue to study and perfect the mechanisms and legal policies on health insurance, in which special attention should be paid to evaluating and summarizing after 5 years of implementing the Health Insurance Law to promptly propose, supplement and amend limitations and inadequacies, so that the health insurance policy is increasingly suitable to the practical requirements and development requirements of the country in each period.
Regarding the mechanism and policy to expand the scope of health insurance participation, the Deputy Prime Minister noted that relevant units need to pay attention to subjects such as farmers, fishermen, people with below average income, and freelance workers. Regarding the mechanism and policy of payment, health insurance treatment and care, it is necessary to pay attention to administrative procedures, attitudes, medical ethics, and quality of health insurance. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen policy coordination, especially the health insurance collection policy with the hospital fee policy, drug prices and financial mechanisms between health insurance facilities; thereby, properly resolving the relationship between the quality of health insurance treatment, balancing the health insurance fund and people's ability to pay.
Deputy Prime Minister Vu Van Ninh also requested relevant agencies to strengthen coordination in implementing the health insurance policy in order to enhance the role and responsibility of all levels and sectors, especially Party committees and local authorities in implementing the roadmap for universal health insurance; Strengthen inspection, examination, supervision and strictly handle acts of evasion, intentional debt, abuse or profiteering of the health insurance fund; Equal treatment between health insurance patients and patients using medical services, thereby enhancing the attractiveness of health insurance.
At the rally, Minister of Health Nguyen Thi Kim Tien said that as of December 31, 2012, the total number of people participating in health insurance was more than 59 million, an increase of 9 million people compared to 2009, reaching a coverage rate of 67% of the population; the poor and social policy beneficiaries, meritorious people, and children under 6 years old have been given attention in accessing and enjoying health insurance services according to the provisions of the Law.
However, people's awareness of participating in health insurance is not high, the compliance with the law on health insurance in some enterprises, especially private enterprises, is still low with the participation rate of employees only reaching 55%. Many units still avoid paying or have long-term health insurance arrears. Regulations on conditions for participating in voluntary health insurance are not reasonable, so they do not encourage people to participate long-term and continuously. The mechanism for managing health insurance drug prices has not been as effective as expected and the abuse of health insurance funds has not been completely overcome...
According to Minister Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, in the coming time, the two sectors of Health and Social Insurance will continue to coordinate closely to increase the proportion of the population participating in health insurance; expand the target groups so that by 2015, the proportion of the population participating in health insurance will reach over 70%, by 2020, over 80% of the population will participate in health insurance; improve the quality and meet the needs of medical examination and treatment of health insurance participants.
Along with that, gradually innovate the financial mechanism towards direct investment for health service beneficiaries through the form of supporting participation in health insurance, ensuring the balance of health insurance revenue and expenditure, striving to reduce the rate of direct health expenditure from households' own pockets to below 40% by 2020. At the same time, closely coordinate with relevant ministries and branches to propose amendments and supplements to a number of articles of the Health Insurance Law to ensure people's rights better and better, contributing to ensuring the country's social security.../.
(According to the Communist Party of Vietnam) – LH
