Filling the security gap
In late July, Binh Chau fishing port (Binh Chau commune, Ho Chi Minh City) was bustling with boats docking. While scooping fresh fish onto the wharf, fisherman Tran Van Binh (47 years old, living in Binh Chau commune) shared that in the past, fishermen paid little attention to social insurance and health insurance, because of the nature of their work, drifting at sea every day, only worrying about earning income for their families.
Recently, through the news on the media about some cases of serious complications due to illness but not going to the doctor because they did not buy health insurance cards, many families have paid more attention to this issue. Mr. NVT (fishing boat owner, living in Long Hai commune) even bought health insurance cards for his crew members. "In addition to buying accident insurance for crew members, buying health insurance cards is very important, helping them feel secure in their work because this job is quite hard, illness can happen at any time", Mr. T. expressed.
According to our research, there are still many people in difficult circumstances, especially those fishing inshore, who do not have access to social insurance and health insurance. Therefore, many fishermen hope that the city will support them and help them access social security policies, especially medical examination and treatment. “Fishermen are very happy if the government supports them to buy health insurance. Everyone has this or that illness, illness can happen at any time, especially those who do hard work with many potential risks such as fishing,” said Mr. Hoang Van Sang (living in Vung Tau ward).
Not only fishermen, currently a part of the population (especially rural workers, island workers, informal workers) do not have the conditions to participate in social insurance and health insurance. To fill that social security gap, Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance proposes that the city's leaders include the rate of social insurance and health insurance coverage in the annual socio -economic development targets and tasks and the Resolution of the Party Congresses at all levels. At the same time, develop policies to support social insurance and health insurance contributions for target groups...
On August 1, the People's Committees of Dong Hoa, Di An and Tan Dong Hiep wards (HCMC) simultaneously established the Steering Committee for implementing social insurance and health insurance policies to deploy social insurance and health insurance policies to each household. At the same time, there are flexible solutions suitable for each group to effectively implement social insurance and health insurance policies. Thereby contributing to gradually expanding the coverage of social insurance and health insurance, ensuring the rights of the people. The representative of the HCMC Women's Union said that the association has linked the dissemination of voluntary social insurance and family health insurance policies with the implementation of a number of models such as "Raising piggy banks", "Women saving to buy health insurance for women in difficult circumstances in the locality; saving 5,000 VND/day to participate in voluntary social insurance"...
Summary of the best support policies of 3 localities
Ms. Tran Thi Thao (66 years old, living in Long Truong ward, Ho Chi Minh City) has just gone to the hospital to treat colitis. According to the bill, she had to pay about 12 million VND in hospital fees, but thanks to health insurance, she only paid 1.7 million VND. Ms. Thao does not have a pension, and is not yet 75 years old to receive senior benefits from the state. Although her finances are not abundant, every year, her daughter buys health insurance for her mother and family members in case of illness. Hearing that the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance proposed that the city support the cost of buying health insurance for people from 60 to under 75 years old, Ms. Thao and her daughter were very happy. "If the city had such a policy, it would be great, dependent people like us would have more support," Ms. Thao said.
In fact, before the merger, Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong province and Ba Ria - Vung Tau province (formerly) all had humane resolutions to support local people to ensure social security. In particular, Binh Duong province (formerly) had a policy to support the contribution level for voluntary social insurance and health insurance participants for groups of subjects such as security and order protection teams; subjects aged 70-79, ethnic minorities in area 1, people unemployed for more than 3 months without a job, households escaping poverty, students in area 1, students in difficult circumstances.
Ba Ria - Vung Tau province (formerly) supported health insurance for people aged 65 and over; security and order protection teams; poor and near-poor households; students. Ho Chi Minh City (formerly) supported health insurance for poor and near-poor households according to the city's standards; security and order protection teams; the elderly, orphans, and people in difficult circumstances.
Currently, Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance continues to pay and support voluntary social insurance and health insurance contributions according to the resolutions of the People's Councils of Binh Duong and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces (formerly) until the above resolutions expire or are replaced by new resolutions. This is to continue implementing policies to support voluntary social insurance and health insurance contributions for groups of people supported by the local budget, ensuring timely and continuous benefits for people in the support category.
Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance proposed to use the highest support policies of the three previous localities to build a new Resolution of the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, to ensure that social security policies are implemented synchronously in Ho Chi Minh City. This policy demonstrates Ho Chi Minh City's concern and care for the people, ensuring that people have equal, continuous and sustainable access to health care and social security services. In addition, it eliminates differences between regions.
During the working session with the Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance and a number of related departments and branches to listen to reports and recommendations on solutions to implement social insurance and health insurance policies in Ho Chi Minh City, Comrade Nguyen Phuoc Loc, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, emphasized that the implementation of social insurance and health insurance policies is considered one of the important and regular political tasks of the Party Committee and the entire political system of the city. Comrade Nguyen Phuoc Loc requested the units to urgently prepare the content to submit to the Standing Committee of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee as soon as possible, ensuring progress to promptly include social policy contents in the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council meeting at the end of 2025.
Lawyer HA HAI, Vice President of Ho Chi Minh City Bar Association: Towards a sustainable social security system
The 2024 Social Insurance Law, which takes effect from July 1, 2025, is an important milestone in the process of perfecting Vietnam's social security system. One of the major breakthroughs of the law is the expansion of compulsory social insurance participation. The new law aims to cover the entire population in social insurance, ensuring social security and enhancing benefits to encourage long-term participation by workers. In particular, requiring business household owners to participate in social insurance is a strategic step to protect the rights of the self-employed group, which accounts for a large proportion but is rarely covered by the formal safety net. With more than 5 million business households operating nationwide, expanding compulsory social insurance is an important strategy to narrow the social security gap between the formal and informal sectors. Not only does it protect workers from the risk of loss of labor capacity, illness or old age, but participating in social insurance also helps reduce the financial burden on families and the state budget in the future. In the long term, compulsory participation in social insurance will contribute to narrowing the informal economic sector, moving towards a more sustainable social security system.
Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor NGUYEN ANH DUNG, Deputy Director of Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health: Improving the quality of health insurance examination and treatment
As a health care system, the Ho Chi Minh City health sector is making efforts to implement many solutions, contributing to increasing the health insurance coverage rate among the people. In particular, the city's health sector determines to continue improving the quality of health insurance examination and treatment, maintaining people's trust in health care facilities right from the initial level of medical examination and treatment such as health stations, health centers, and hospitals.
The city's health sector will also periodically publicize the satisfaction index of patients using health insurance for each medical facility. At the same time, it is proposed to expand the consultation kiosks and propaganda to support patients in purchasing health insurance procedures right in the hospital, thereby screening patients in difficulty to have timely support plans.
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tang-do-bao-phu-chinh-sach-bao-hiem-xa-hoi-va-y-te-cho-tphcm-post806727.html
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