Four key policies to change Vietnam’s health insurance law

93 million Vietnamese individuals have health insurance.

During a workshop, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan noted a significant rise in health insurance coverage in Vietnam. 

From 58% in 2019, coverage surged to 93.35% by 2023, with approximately 93.307 million people enrolled. 

Correspondingly, the utilisation of health insurance cards for medical services saw an annual increase. By 2023, around 174.8 million individuals received services, amounting to roughly VND124.3t (nearly $4.9b) in expenditure.

Thuan highlighted the expanding benefits for participants and improved access to covered healthcare services. 

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However, he acknowledged outdated provisions in existing health insurance laws, necessitating revisions to align with socio-economic developments and new healthcare practices. Notably, changes in medical regulations require a reevaluation of health insurance laws.

The Ministry of Health's proposed amendments focus on four key policies:

1. Adjusting the participants of the health insurance system in line with relevant laws;
2. Adjusting the scope of health insurance benefits in accordance with contribution levels, balancing the Health Insurance Fund and healthcare requirements in each stage; 
3. Adjusting relevant health insurance regulations according to the level of specialised technical care and leveraging the role of grassroots healthcare in primary healthcare and health insurance-based medical examination and treatment; 
4. Efficiently allocating the use of the Health Insurance Fund.