From April 1, Vietnam Social Security will issue new health insurance cards nationwide.

Currently, the Vietnam Social Insurance sector is actively preparing to ensure the timely printing and issuance of new health insurance cards in accordance with regulations to create the most convenience for people.

The new health insurance card model has changes in the direction of bringing more convenience to participants, especially in the process of requesting a card, preserving and using the card to perform health insurance medical examination and treatment. Thereby, ensuring the best benefits forHealth insurancefor participants in accordance with the provisions of law. Specifically, some highlights are as follows:

- The new health insurance card has a compact size like a citizen identification card and some types of ATM cards of banks, is laminated after printing, convenient for storage and use.

New health insurance card front. Photo: PV

- The card code is only 10 digits, instead of 15 characters like the current health insurance card. This helps reduce the number of characters that participants need to declare when looking up on the Vietnam Social Security Electronic Information Portal (at http://baohiemxahoi.gov.vn) or declare when applying for continued participation in health insurance; re-issuing, changing cards; checking health insurance treatment costs enjoyed on the Vietnam Social Security Public Service Portal (at https://dichvucong.baohiemxahoi.gov.vn).

- The back of the new health insurance card has specific instructions on how to use the health insurance card, helping participants clearly understand how to look up information about the card and the benefits they are entitled to; how to contact the social insurance agency for instructions and answers to difficulties and questions...

Ready to issue new health insurance card

To ensure the timely, effective and consistent issuance of new health insurance cards, in February 2021, Vietnam Social Security issued Plan No. 349/KH-BHXH directing affiliated professional units and local social security agencies to ensure the issuance of new health insurance cards strictly and conveniently; not causing congestion in looking up health insurance card information for facilities.Health insurance, ensuring health insurance benefits of participants.

Vietnam Social Security has assigned specific responsibilities to each affiliated unit to be ready to print and issue health insurance cards according to the set plan; at the same time, monitor and urge timely handling of feedback and recommendations related to people's health insurance benefits when using the new model health insurance card; and problems with procedures for receiving patients using the new model health insurance card at health insurance treatment facilities.

Back of new health insurance card. Photo: PV

Implementing the direction of Vietnam Social Security, provincial Social Security agencies report to the Provincial Party Committee, Provincial People's Committee and coordinate with the Department of Health as well as related sectors to inform and propagate to health insurance treatment facilities, participants and units managing health insurance participants about the use of the new model health insurance card. Provincial Social Security agencies proactively arrange human resources to implement plastic lamination or hire plastic lamination of new model health insurance cards for participants to ensure compliance with regulations.

To prepare for printing and issuing new health insurance cards, the Vietnam Social Security sector is currently focusing on reviewing and counting the number of printers for printing social insurance books and health insurance cards nationwide; notifying the parameters and configuration of printers that meet the requirements for printing new health insurance cards for provincial social security agencies; preparing to organize training, guidance, inspection, and urging provincial social security agencies to properly implement regulations on printing and issuing new health insurance cards from April 1, 2021...

Special,Vietnam Social Securityhas actively promoted the completion of the new health insurance card printing software to ensure readiness to provide and support provincial social insurance agencies to use when the old health insurance card blanks have run out. The software has been tested at Hanoi Social Insurance since February 22, 2021, to test and evaluate the software's level of compliance with the prescribed operations. After completing the software, Vietnam Social Insurance will issue a notice along with instructions to provincial and municipal social insurance agencies on how to use it.

Current health insurance card is still valid and can continue to be used for medical examination and treatment.

From April 1, 2021, the new health insurance card model will be used in parallel with the health insurance card models prescribed in Decision No. 1313/QD-BHXH dated December 2, 2014 on promulgating the health insurance card model, Decision No. 1500/QD-BHXH dated December 14, 2015 on promulgating health insurance cards for military personnel, People's Public Security, and people working in key positions, and all have the same validity when receiving health insurance-covered medical examination and treatment, specifically:

- The new health insurance card will be used nationwide from April 1, 2021. While waiting to change to the new health insurance card, the health insurance card issued to the health insurance participant that is still valid can continue to be used for health insurance treatment.

- Provincial Social Insurance agencies will issue new health insurance cards when the old card templates have run out.

The new health insurance card will be changed from April 1, 2021. Photo: PV

- Clause 3, Article 4, Decision No. 1666/BHXH clearly states: Information on the health insurance card code (regulations of Vietnam Social Security in Decision No. 1351/QD-BHXH dated November 16, 2015 and current guiding documents on health insurance card codes), along with the address (place of residence or place of work) and the time of exemption from co-payment within the scope of health insurance benefits when receiving medical examination and treatment in the right line of the participant are updated on the Data Receiving Portal of the Health Insurance Assessment Information System and the Vietnam Social Security Electronic Information Portal.

Accordingly, the participants' health insurance information has been updated on the Health Insurance Assessment Information System Data Receiving Portal and the Vietnam Social Security Electronic Information Portal. Therefore, although the new health insurance card model has been changed, the information on the participants' health insurance benefits has been saved on the system to serve the implementation of health insurance treatment. Therefore, participants who are issued with the new or old health insurance card model can use it for health insurance treatment and enjoy the benefits according to the subjects they participate in.

Procedures for issuing new health insurance cards are still carried out according to current regulations.

The process of issuing new health insurance cards continues to be implemented according to Decision No. 595/QD-BHXH, Decision No. 505/QD-BHXH and current guidance documents on health insurance cards of Vietnam Social Security.

Health insurance participants and employers can submit applications for health insurance cards directly to the Social Insurance agency or carry out procedures to change health insurance cards on the National Public Service Portal (at www.dichvucong.gov.vn).

Note:In case of performing electronic transactions, the enterprise performing the procedure to change the health insurance card shall prepare the dossier using the declaration software of Vietnam Social Security or I-VAN Organization; electronically sign the dossier and send it to the Vietnam Social Security Electronic Information Portal or through I-VAN Organization.

With the use of the new health insurance card model from April 1, 2021, health insurance participants will be supported more conveniently in the process of requesting card issuance, preserving and using the card to perform health insurance medical examination and treatment. The new health insurance card model is one of the effective administrative reform solutions of the Vietnam Social Security sector, ensuring the best health insurance benefits for participants, creating convenience for health insurance medical examination and treatment facilities and social insurance agencies in the process of organizing and implementing health insurance policies./.