Submit to the National Assembly to amend and supplement the Law on Health Insurance at the 8th Session

The National Assembly Standing Committee agreed to add the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance to the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program, to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Nguyen Khac Dinh chaired the meeting on the afternoon of August 22. (Photo: DUY LINH)

On the afternoon of August 22, at the National Assembly House, continuing the 36th Session program, Standing Committee of the National Assembly review and decide on adjustments to the Law and Ordinance Development Program.

Presenting the report, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long said that the Government proposed to add the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance to the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program.

The Law Project is built with 4 policies: adjusting the subjects participating in health insurance in line with the provisions of relevant laws; adjusting the scope of health insurance benefits in accordance with the contribution level, balancing the health insurance fund and health care requirements in each period; adjusting the relevant health insurance regulations according to the level of technical expertise in medical examination and treatment and promoting the role of grassroots health care in primary health care and medical examination and treatment under health insurance; allocating and using the health insurance fund effectively.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Le Thanh Long presented the draft Law. (Photo: DUY LINH)

Based on the prepared dossier proposing the Law, the Government proposes that the National Assembly Standing Committee consider allowing the Law project to be added to the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program, and submit it to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at a session (8th Session, 15th National Assembly).

Examining this content, Chairman of the National Assembly's Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung stated that the Law Committee and the National Assembly's agencies agree with the necessity of amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance to institutionalize the Party's policies and guidelines, promptly overcome a number of limitations, difficulties and inadequacies of the current Law, meet practical requirements, and be consistent with relevant provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment and the Law on Social Insurance.

Regarding the policies proposed for the Law, the Chairman of the Law Committee said that the contents of the policies are basically consistent with the Party's guidelines and policies, ensuring constitutionality and legality. However, he requested clarification of some contents in the four policy groups.

Regarding the adjustment of health insurance participants in line with relevant legal regulations, it is recommended to continue research and have a mechanism to ensure that employees participating in compulsory health insurance can switch to voluntary health insurance in case the employer is late in paying or evades paying social insurance to continue maintaining the health insurance benefits of employees...

Regarding the adjustment of the scope of health insurance benefits in accordance with the contribution level, balancing the health insurance fund and health care requirements in each period, it is recommended to study and amend relevant regulations to ensure the rights of people with health insurance cards in cases where they have to buy medicine and medical supplies on the list of health insurance payments because medical examination and treatment facilities lack medicine and medical supplies and cannot provide them to patients...

Chairman of the Law Committee Hoang Thanh Tung presents the inspection report. (Photo: DUY LINH)

Regarding the effective allocation and use of health insurance funds, it is recommended to continue to carefully review the contents of health insurance fund use, thoroughly assess the impact to propose appropriate solutions, overcome the shortcomings and limitations that have been pointed out in the summary of the implementation of the Law on Health Insurance in the past time...

Regarding the submission time, the Law Committee and the Standing Committee of the Social Affairs Committee propose that the National Assembly Standing Committee consider and decide to add the Law project to the 2024 Program, submit it to the National Assembly for comments and approval at the 8th Session (October 2024) according to the procedure at one session with the scope of amendments and supplements this time focusing on the contents that are truly necessary, urgent, clear and have high consensus, ensuring synchronous implementation, consistent with the provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment, the Law on Social Insurance and removing the shortcomings, obstacles and difficulties that have been pointed out through the summary.

During the discussion, opinions in the National Assembly Standing Committee agreed on the need to amend and supplement the Law on Health Insurance.

Speaking to clarify, Deputy Prime Minister Le Thanh Long said that the revised and supplemented contents are all urgent to ensure consistency with the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment in current implementation; after that, the Government and the Ministry of Health will continue to study and comprehensively revise this Law.

The National Assembly Standing Committee voted unanimously to add the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance to the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program. (Photo: DUY LINH)

After consideration, 100% of the Committee members present voted unanimously to add the draft Law amending and supplementing a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance to the 2024 Law and Ordinance Development Program, to be submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and approval at the 8th Session of the 15th National Assembly.

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