Overcoming "headwinds" to sow seeds of social security

The value of "lifebuoy" and concerns

To understand the value of the health insurance card, nothing is more authentic than the stories from the Social Insurance officers of Region XVII, collected during the journey of "going to every alley, knocking on every door". That is the image of Ms. Phung Nay Phau, a Dao woman, 50 years old, living in Nam Cang village, Lien Minh commune, Sa Pa town, holding a health insurance card, like a "lifebuoy". "With it, when you are sick, you don't have to worry about medicine and medical examination. If you don't have it, you don't know what to do". The simple saying encapsulates the value of the small card in the midst of a difficult life.

Down in Bac Ha, in Phec Bung village, Ban Pho commune, young man Ly Seo Phu, born in 2000, also shares the joy: "Thanks to the State's support, I was able to buy health insurance. I don't have to pay for medical examinations for minor illnesses, I feel much relieved." For Phu and many young people in the highlands, health insurance not only protects their health but is also a motivation to stay in their hometown and work with peace of mind.

Stories like Ms. Phuu and Mr. Phuu are vivid proof that health insurance has truly become a "lifeline" of social security. Data from Social Insurance Region XVII further emphasizes this. By the end of April 2025, over 733,000 people in Yen Bai had health insurance cards in hand. In Lao Cai province, there were nearly 682,000 people, reaching a coverage rate of 86.06% of the population. That number, which seems to be just statistics, is a reassuring smile after the pain of illness. In particular, more than 1.4 million health insurance cards have been issued; nearly 100% of participant data, of which Yen Bai is 99.79%, Lao Cai is 99.97%, has been "cleaned", synchronized with the National Population Database. This is a step forward in laying the foundation for a transparent, effective management system, ready for digitalization.

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However, the social security epic still has some low notes. Compared to the same period last year, Yen Bai has reduced the number of people participating in health insurance by more than 20,000 people; Lao Cai has reduced the number of people by 1,430 people - a number representing tens of thousands of lives that have had to leave the "shield" for many reasons. The most painful story is that in communes that have just "escaped" the status of being particularly disadvantaged and meeting the new rural standards, people are no longer supported by the state budget with 100% of the cost of buying health insurance cards. That is also the concern and worry of many rural people, freelance workers, and those with unstable incomes.

Mr. Nguyen Minh Dac, residing in Hong Ha ward, Yen Bai city, confided: "Knowing that having a health insurance card will reduce some of the risks when sick or having an accident. But I work from day to day, sometimes I don't have work for a whole week, so even if I want to, it's hard to get it."

Officers and civil servants of Social Insurance Region XVII promote the benefits of participating in voluntary social insurance at the family of Mr. Ly Seo Phu - Ban Pho commune - Bac Ha district (Lao Cai province)

The burden is even heavier when the income of the majority of people is still low and unstable, now facing the adjustment of increasing voluntary social insurance contributions or medical service prices, making it even more difficult to maintain a health insurance card or participate in voluntary social insurance. Not only that, the rugged mountainous terrain of Yen Bai and Lao Cai is also a significant barrier, causing difficulties in accessing, propagating and mobilizing people to participate in social insurance and health insurance. In addition, many ethnic minorities in remote and mountainous areas are still not fluent in the common language or are illiterate, while the awareness of complying with the law on social insurance and health insurance of a part of employers and employees is sometimes limited.

In addition, streamlining the payroll and merging administrative units has reduced the number of people participating in compulsory social insurance and health insurance. Old "debts" from the local budget that are slow to pay health insurance for children under 6 years old, or the support for the near-poor from the NORRED project that has been stuck since 2018-2019, are still obstacles. Even the merger of Yen Bai and Lao Cai Social Insurance into Social Insurance Region XVII, although an inevitable step, also brings initial challenges in data synchronization, software upgrade, requiring increased efforts from the staff.

Diligently bringing policies to the people

Amidst difficulties, the enthusiasm of the Social Insurance workers in Region XVII has not been extinguished. They are working hard to bring policies closer to the people. Communication content is also focused on innovation, not only stopping at mobilizing participation, but also delving into the new points of the Law on Social Insurance and Health Insurance (amended), clearly analyzing the benefits of receiving monthly pensions compared to receiving social insurance in one lump sum, while guiding people to use the utilities of the VssID application - Social Insurance Number and other online public services of the Industry. They not only "infiltrate" into every village, market, festival, but also cleverly integrate policy information into neighborhood meetings, grassroots reporter conferences, or closely coordinate with press agencies from central to local levels, departments, branches, and even the Center for Communication and Culture of districts, towns, and cities so that information is widely disseminated.

In April alone, the Social Insurance Region XVII organized 6 large and small communication conferences to promote and mobilize people to participate in social insurance and health insurance. Small group propaganda sessions were cleverly integrated at the Mother Goddess Festival at Ba Ao Trang Temple (Yen Bai city), or during the "Workers' Month" with the Trade Union of Yen Bai Industrial Parks. In particular, the launching ceremony "Connecting new models, with the regional Social Insurance pioneering for community security" in collaboration with Lao Cai Provincial Post Office created a buzz. A significant effort was to bring policies to ethnic minorities in their own language.

In April, there were 40 radio broadcasts in ethnic languages out of a total of more than 2,300 radio broadcasts at the grassroots level, along with a series of news articles on the airwaves and loudspeakers, as a bridge connecting policy with life. Cyberspace also became a vibrant front with more than 230 media products (articles, videos, infographics) posted on the Electronic Information Portal, Fanpage, Zalo, Youtube, attracting nearly 1,200 shares from the personal pages of officials and civil servants, each of whom is an active "propagandist". Online consulting channels, hotlines, and Yen Bai-S applications operate at full capacity, answering hundreds of questions, supporting people to install VssID, perform online public services and make cashless payments... In particular, all forms of propaganda aim to ensure that information reaches the majority of people, especially ethnic minorities, people in remote areas, or those who have just escaped poverty and need to be mobilized to continue participating in voluntary social insurance and family health insurance.

All forms of propaganda aim to ensure information reaches the majority of people and workers so that they clearly understand their rights, long-term benefits and voluntarily participate in health insurance and social insurance.

Along with communication, management work was tightened. Solutions for debt collection, debt reduction, and participant development were promoted. Inspection and examination were carried out vigorously to ensure the rights of workers and the health of the system. The appraisal of health insurance medical examination and treatment costs was strictly implemented, preventing abuse and profiteering of the fund. More importantly, efforts were made to stabilize the organization after the merger. The leadership of Social Insurance Region XVII quickly completed the apparatus, clearly assigning tasks. Although there were still problems with data and software, the spirit of solidarity, learning while working, and overcoming difficulties helped the apparatus gradually stabilize, ensuring that all regimes and policies for the people were not interrupted.

The road to bringing social security policies, especially health insurance, to all people in the highlands of Yen Bai and Lao Cai is still full of bumps. "Headwinds" may still blow, new challenges may arise. But looking at Ms. Phuu's smile, the trust in the eyes of young man Ly Seo Phu, and especially the unquenchable fire of enthusiasm in each Social Insurance officer of Region XVII, we have the right to believe. They, the "blue-shirted soldiers" of the Social Insurance industry, are still using their dedication, perseverance and creativity to "anchor" the trust, so that the "shield" of health insurance is increasingly strong, protecting the lives of our compatriots. And those silent efforts continue, deserving the understanding, sharing and companionship of the whole community.

Thanh Phuc

Source: https://baoyenbai.com.vn/215/350939/Vuot-gio-nguoc-geo-mam-an-sinh.aspx