What documents should people bring to get health insurance?

The Ministry of Health has just issued a response letter from the Vietnam Social Security regarding the implementation of certain provisions of Government Decree No. 75 amending and supplementing some articles of Government Decree No. 146/2018/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of some articles of the Law on Health Insurance.

The Ministry of Health stated that, according to the Health Insurance Law, Clause 1, Article 28 on medical examination and treatment procedures stipulates that health insurance participants must present their health insurance card with a photo when seeking medical examination or treatment.

If the health insurance card does not have a photo, the health insurance card must be presented along with proof of the person's identity; for children under 6 years old, only the health insurance card needs to be presented.

What documents do people need to bring when going for a medical examination to receive health insurance benefits? (Figure 1) — People should bring their health insurance card and/or citizen identification card when going for medical check-ups (image source: internet).

To facilitate citizens, Clause 6, Article 1 of Decree No. 75/2023/ND-CP stipulates that: Individuals participating in health insurance must present their health insurance card with a photo or citizen identification card when undergoing medical examination or treatment;

In cases where a health insurance card without a photo is presented, the applicant must also present one of the following documents with a photo issued by a competent authority or organization, or a confirmation letter from the commune-level police, or other documents certified by the educational institution managing the student.

Other legally valid identity documents or electronically identified documents at level 2 as stipulated in Government Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP.

"The decree is designed to be comprehensive, ensuring that when health insurance cards do not have photos, people can replace them with other legal documents proving their identity with a photo for identification when seeking medical examination and treatment under health insurance," the Ministry of Health stated in the document.

Therefore, based on the provisions of the Law and Decree, when going for medical examination and treatment, health insurance participants can choose to present their health insurance card with a photo or their citizen identification card. Only in cases where the health insurance card does not have a photo will the health insurance participant be required to present one of the following additional documents:

Photo identification issued by a competent authority or organization.

Confirmation letter from the local police station.

Other documents must be certified by the educational institution that manages the student.

Other legally valid identity documents or electronically identified documents at level 2 as prescribed in Decree No. 59/2022/ND-CP

Regarding other legal documents proving identity, the Ministry of Health stated that, currently, in addition to the citizen identity card, several legal documents stipulate other personal identification documents.

For example, Article 6 of Decree 62/2021/ND-CP, which details some provisions of the Law on Residence, stipulates the types of documents proving personal relationships such as identity cards, passports; social insurance books, and birth certificates.

Decree 136/2007/ND-CP on exit and entry of Vietnamese citizens stipulates that the national passport can be used as a substitute for the national identity card.

Article 2 of Decree 123/2015/ND-CP, which details some provisions and measures for implementing the Law on Civil Status, stipulates that documents proving identity such as passports; identity cards; and other documents with a photograph and personal information issued by competent authorities and still valid are valid.

Circulars from the Ministry of Transport also stipulate that Vietnamese citizens, when going through airline procedures for domestic flights, can present one of the following types of personal identification documents: passport; national identity card, police identification card, military identification card; driver's license, etc.

Currently, information about health insurance cards and photos of cardholders have been basically integrated into citizen identity cards and citizen identification codes, so there is essentially enough information and images to conveniently present them when going for medical examinations and treatment.

Regarding level 2 electronic identification documents, Decree No. 59 stipulates that when an electronic identity subject uses a level 2 electronic identification account in electronic activities and transactions, it has the same value as presenting documents to prove that the information has been integrated into the electronic identification account.

In addition, citizens whose accounts have been electronically verified at level 2 can use their health insurance cards integrated into the VNeID application to receive medical examinations and treatment covered by health insurance.

Regarding the integration of health insurance cards into the VssID application, this is currently being piloted by the Vietnam Social Security.

If a level 2 electronic identification account, as stipulated in Decree No. 59, is used to log into the VssID application, the health insurance card integrated into the VssID application can be used for medical examinations and treatment under the health insurance scheme.

Source