Workshop “Report on results of research, review and recommendations to revise the Social Health Insurance Law” in the Southern Region

Within the framework of the TA 9221-VIE Project – “Strengthening the Policy and Institutional Framework of Social Health Insurance” funded by ADB, T&C Consulting Company was in collaboration with the Department of Health Insurance – Ministry of Health to successfully organized the Workshop “Report on results of research, review and recommendations to revise the Social Health Insurance Law” in Ho Chi Minh City. This is one of the key activities under Component 1 “Priority legislative and regulatory measures identified and endorsed to appropriate authorities for decision”.

The main objective of the workshop was to share the main results of the Health Insurance Law review conducted by T&C Consulting’s consultant team, and policy orientations in the revision of the Health Insurance Law. There were nearly 100 delegates participated in the workshop, representing to the central agencies including the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Social Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Vietnam Insurance Association… and local agencies including the Departments of Health, Provincial Social Security, public and private hospitals, health centers, commune health stations from 18 provinces/cities in the Southern region.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health inaugurated the workshop, emphasizing current limitations and shortcomings concerning organization health care covered by Social Health Insurance (SHI); inspection and payment methods; relationships and responsibilities of the state management agencies, implementing agencies and service providers,  resulted from unclear, unspecific and inconsistent of the SHI Law and legal documents related to health insurance. Therefore, it is necessary to propose and recommend policies that need to be revised or replaced in the current Law.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy Minister of Health inaugurated the workshop

On behalf of the consultant team, PhD. Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga presented the “Report on results of research, review and recommendations to revise the Social Health Insurance Law”. The research results focused on analysis of such issues as: the insured, rates, liabilities and methods of payment of health insurance premiums; scope of health insurance benefits; organization of medical care for the insured; payment of costs of health insurance- covered medical care; State management and organization of health insurance. Regarding the contents of organization of medical care for the insured, the consultant team went into four issues, namely the contract of health insurance- covered medical care, hospital transfer, health insurance- covered medical care  at commune level and inspection. Dr. Le Van Kham – Director of the Department of Health Insurance – Ministry of Health also made the next presentation on the Policy Orientation in the revision of the Health Insurance Law, which proposed 10 policy orientations with alternative implementation options.

On behalf of the consultant team, PhD. Nguyen Thi Thuy Nga presented the “Report on results of research, review and recommendations to revise the Social Health Insurance Law”

All participants took part in the discussion session under the co-chair of Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son, Deputy General Director of Vietnam Social Security Pham Luong Son and Director of the Health Insurance Department – Ministry Health Le Van Kham. Many valuable comments from representatives of the Ministry of Finance, Khanh Hoa, Dong Nai and Binh Duong Departments of Health, Ho Chi Minh City Social Security, Cho Ray Hospital, Vietnam Insurance Association … were recorded. They concerned the linkage between the social health insurance and commercial insurance, the criteria of inspector selection and the time of inspection, the proposal to remove regulation on hospital transfer among provinces, and to include IT application costs into medical service costs…

Participants presented their comments for SHI Law in the workshop

At the end of the workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Truong Son highly appreciated the presentations and comments in the workshop, and asked the participants to continue to send their feedbacks/comments via email of the Health Insurance Department.

Following the success of the Southern Regional Workshop, T&C Consulting and the Department of Health Insurance – Ministry of Health will continue to organize similar workshop in the North in the coming time. Comments from these workshops will be consolidated by the Drafting Committee and Editing team to finalize the Report on results of research, review and recommendations to revise the Social Health Insurance Law and the Policy Orientation in the revision of the Health Insurance Law