The Ministry of Health yesterday held a conference to review five-year implementation of the Law of Medical Insurance and collected opinions for the Amended Law of Medical Insurance.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Health Minister Nguyen Truong Son said that after five years, more and more people have bought health insurance with the coverage of 90 percent of the country’s population.
From 2015 to 2019, around 15 million citizens joined in health insurance and treatment quality has improved steadily with more advanced techniques and services paid by the insurance agency to help sharing patients’ burden of medical cost.
Statistically, people pay less for medical care in 2018 helping disadvantaged people, near-poor people and children under aged 6 from low-income families to get access to good medical services.
However, there has been shortcomings and obstacles during implementation of the law.
Deputy Head of the Department of Medical Insurance under the Ministry Phan Van Toan said that insurance payment for 2020 will rise a median of 6 percent is one of the highlights of the amended law.
The amended law also required insurance applicants to buy it in household groups instead individual like present. Second family member buy insurance equivalent to 80 percent of the first’s sum instead of 70 percent like now.
Health care cost rise simultaneously with increase in basic salary. For instance, minimum wage is VND1,490,000 (US$64.2) presently and laborers pay VND804,000 for average annual health insurance premiums. If the amended health insurance law takes effect, they will pay nearly VND1,100,000.
