Spreading the humanistic values ​​of health insurance to the young generation

Over the past years, the Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI) sector has always focused on developing health insurance (HI) for students. The health insurance benefits of students are always guaranteed, as shown by the number of medical examinations and treatments and the amount of expenses paid by the health insurance fund each year. On the eve of the new school year, General Director of Vietnam Social Insurance Nguyen The Manh shared the results of health insurance for students as well as the directions for the new school year 2024-2025.

General Director of Vietnam Social Security Nguyen The Manh presents health insurance cards to students in difficult circumstances.

Can the General Director tell us about the results of this work in the recent period?

- According to the development orientation of universal health insurance of our Party and State, the health insurance policy is gradually expanded to cover target groups. In particular, the student group, with a scale of nearly 1/4 of the population, is given great attention.

Legal regulations on health insurance for students have been gradually improved. According to Joint Circular No. 14/TTLB dated September 19, 1994 of the Ministry of Education and Training and the Ministry of Health , health insurance for students began to be implemented from the 1994-1995 school year. Up to now, students are in the group required to participate in health insurance according to the provisions of the 2008 Health Insurance Law and the Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the 2014 Health Insurance Law. It should be emphasized that students are the group required to participate in health insurance, and are also one of the groups supported by the State budget with 30% of the health insurance premium.

The Government's directive documents are all concerned with the development of health insurance, especially the Prime Minister's Decisions on assigning health insurance targets, all emphasize the responsibility of implementing health insurance for students ofthe education sector, schools...

Over the years, the Vietnam Social Insurance sector has always made efforts and responsibilities to ensure the most effective implementation of health insurance for students. Closely coordinating with sectors and levels in propaganda and mobilization, mobilizing local budgets and other sources... to support students to participate in health insurance. The process of regular coordination with schools in making a list of participating students, issuing health insurance cards, transferring initial medical examination and treatment costs, especially health insurance for students... has been carried out in a systematic manner. The professional stages have gradually shifted to electronic transactions instead of doing it manually as before, creating convenience for all parties in the implementation process. For example, currently, students can use 1 health insurance card code which is also the social insurance code to go to health insurance; there is no need to print and reissue a series of paper health insurance cards at the beginning of each school year as before.

In addition, Social Insurance of many provinces and cities has been promoting its role of advising Party committees and authorities to strongly direct solutions for developing health insurance in general and health insurance for students in particular.

In particular, in addition to supporting 30% of the health insurance premium for students from the state budget, many provinces and cities have paid attention, balanced the local budget and mobilized social resources to support additional health insurance premiums for students in the area. Specifically, there are currently 27 provinces and cities that have supported additional health insurance premiums for students. Of which, some provinces and cities have large support levels such as: Ha Giang supports 70% of the premium; Hung Yen, Ba Ria - Vung Tau support 30% of the premium; Quang Ngai supports 20-30% of the premium; Bac Kan, Ca Mau, Hau Giang, Ninh Binh, Son La, Vinh Phuc support 20% of the premium...

Some provinces and cities provide separate support for student health insurance premiums for special cases, such as: Ho Chi Minh City supports 100% for students with disabilities; Dong Nai supports 70% of premiums for students with disabilities; An Giang and Lam Dong support 70% for students from ethnic minorities; Binh Phuoc supports 70% for students in difficult circumstances...

Thanks to the above solutions, the rate of students participating in health insurance has gradually increased over the years. By the 2023-2024 school year, the whole country had about 19.1 million students participating in health insurance, reaching about 97.8% of the total number of students. Last school year, many localities continued to maintain the health insurance coverage rate of up to 100% of students. Typical provinces include: Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Ninh Binh, Bac Giang, Hai Phong...

The number of students participating in health insurance has increased continuously over the years, showing that the awareness of students and parents about the benefits, meaning and importance of participating in health insurance has changed significantly, from a passive attitude to a proactive and active participation. If in the past, some parents had the idea that they would only participate in health insurance when their children had incurable or chronic diseases and needed treatment with high medical costs, now most parents have proactively participated in health insurance for their children when they were healthy. Participating in health insurance for students is both to protect and care for the health of the younger generation and to demonstrate compassion and responsibility to the community to jointly implement the principle of ensuring risk sharing among health insurance participants.

Health insurance benefits for students are increasingly expanded, the quality of health insurance is increasingly improved with convenient and open procedures, access to high-tech medical services, high costs... Looking at the results of health insurance for students in the past time, it shows that the health insurance fund has paid for many patients who are students with incurable and chronic diseases such as kidney failure, cancer, cardiovascular disease... with treatment costs ranging from tens of millions to billions of VND. In the first 6 months of 2024 alone, there were over 4.05 million health insurance treatments for the student group, an increase of 1.8% over the same period in 2023; the total amount of health insurance payment requested was over 1,775 billion VND (an increase of 11.3% over the same period last year). Of which, there were 517 cases of students whose high costs were paid by the health insurance fund from 100 million VND to more than 500 million VND.

Besides the achieved results, what issues need to be noted in implementing student health insurance, Mr. General Director?

- In addition to the very positive results as mentioned above, the implementation of health insurance for students is also facing some difficulties. The coverage rate has not reached 100%, while according to the Law, this is a mandatory group to participate. The number of people who have not participated is currently concentrated in the group of students from the second year onwards and the group of vocational school students...

The reason is that there is no mandatory sanction for the group of students who deliberately do not participate. For families with many children, the payment of health insurance for students at the beginning of the new school year has created a lot of pressure; there is also the mentality of comparing that when paying for family health insurance, the cost will be reduced more...

This reality requires that regulations on student health insurance must continue to be improved. Vietnam Social Security is also actively coordinating with ministries and branches to research and propose amendments to the Law on Health Insurance in the coming time.

Regarding the implementation, although the Vietnam Social Insurance sector has made many efforts, there are places and times when the responsibilities of schools have not been properly and sufficiently implemented, leading to ineffective coordination. The awareness of some parents and students from the second year onwards about health insurance is also not really complete, and they have not actively participated in accordance with the mandatory regulations of the Health Insurance Law.

To overcome this situation, each social insurance agency in each locality must make efforts to propagate and gradually raise awareness of all parties (including schools, parents, and students), ensuring that 100% of students in the area participate in health insurance.

Vietnam Social Security will also continue to direct professional units to review and further simplify the processes and procedures for implementing health insurance for students; increase electronic transactions, ensure the transfer of health insurance funds to schools quickly, neatly, correctly and sufficiently...

The responsibility for implementing student health insurance is not only the responsibility of the Social Insurance Agency. According to the General Director, what needs to be done so that relevant parties can actively participate and better implement student health insurance?

- The responsibility for implementing health insurance for students has been clearly stipulated in legal documents in general as well as in the directive documents of the Government and the Prime Minister on health insurance. Vietnam Social Security hopes that ministries, branches and especially the People's Committees of provinces and cities will continue to pay attention to directing the effective implementation of health insurance policies, including health insurance for students. Mobilize local budgets and other sources to have a mechanism to support contributions (in addition to the support level from the State budget as prescribed by the Law), thereby sustainably increasing the rate of students participating in health insurance.

For the health sector, it is recommended to pay attention to directing to facilitate the implementation of procedures, improve the quality of health insurance treatment, including for students, and ensure health insurance benefits for participants.

The responsibility of the education and training sector, especially schools, is also very important. The Social Insurance Agency recommends that the team of school administrators and teachers pay attention to and coordinate in implementing health insurance for students, from making lists, collecting, issuing cards... needing to coordinate smoothly with the Social Insurance Agency to ensure the most convenience for students. For universities, colleges, and vocational schools, it is necessary to pay special attention to implementing health insurance for students from the second year onwards.

In particular, the education and training sector and local authorities need to pay attention to building facilities, arranging adequate staff in charge of school health, ensuring the best rights to initial medical examination and treatment, and health care for students right at school.

We also hope that school principals, especially homeroom teachers, the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union, student associations, etc., will join hands with the Social Insurance Agency to strengthen propaganda and raise awareness of health insurance among students. This is the future master and intellectual force of the country; it is necessary to pay attention to and raise awareness of universal health insurance, with its role as the main pillar of the social security system. From the current student population and the future labor force of the country, the health insurance policy will be spread sustainably, creating an important foundation to contribute to building a country that is sustainable and prosperous, for the happiness of all people.

As for the Vietnam Social Insurance industry, what solutions will continue to be promoted in the coming time, Mr. General Director?

- To achieve the goal of 100% of students participating in health insurance, Vietnam Social Security will strengthen the direction of social security agencies of provinces and cities to advise the Provincial People's Committee and the Steering Committee for implementing social insurance and health insurance policies to assign specific responsibilities to relevant sectors to effectively implement health insurance for students; assign targets for the rate of participation in health insurance for students to each school, and include them in the evaluation and classification criteria. Research and propose local budgets to support additional health insurance contributions for students, and mobilize philanthropists to join hands in supporting.

Raise public awareness of health insurance in general and student health insurance in particular. Strengthen multi-channel and diverse communication so that parents and students clearly understand their rights and obligations to participate in health insurance. Emphasize the message about the humane nature of health insurance, the effectiveness of health insurance treatment, and cases with high costs covered. Prioritize online/indirect communication via SMS, VssID application, social networks, and online conferences.

Focus on simplifying administrative procedures. Improve the quality of electronic transactions, creating convenience for groups participating in health insurance, especially students.

Requesting Social Insurance at all levels to coordinate with units in the education and training sector to organize conferences to review, evaluate and disseminate health insurance policies to schools. Issuing documents guiding schools to collect health insurance for students. Coordinate and direct schools to review and make a list of students participating in health insurance, and collect correctly and fully according to regulations.

Continue to ensure health care benefits for groups participating in health insurance. Closely coordinate with the health sector and health insurance facilities to ensure health care benefits for students; help students easily access health services, contributing to improving health for studying, training and comprehensive development.

With synchronous solutions and high determination, Vietnam Social Security believes that it will achieve the goal of 100% of students participating in health insurance, contributing to the effective implementation of universal health insurance, bringing practical benefits to the young generation of Vietnam.

Thank you very much, General Director!

According to VIETNAM Social Insurance

Source: https://www.baohaugiang.com.vn/bao-hiem-xa-hoi/lan-toa-gia-tri-nhan-van-cua-bhyt-den-the-he-tre-135356.html