Medical workers give advice to a patient at the general hospital of Cho Moi district, Bac Kan province (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Health insurance covered 81.7 percent ofVietnam’s population in 2016, 2.7 percent higher than the target set by thePrime Minister, according to the Vietnam Social Security (VSS).
As of December 31, about 75.9 million people werecovered by health insurance, VSS Deputy General Director Nguyen Minh Thao saidat a meeting on administrative reforms and setting tasks for 2017 on January 3.
He said the insurance sector paid medicalexpenses for 144 million times in 2016, a year-on-year increase of 10.8percent. The estimated 69.41 trillion VND (3.05 billion USD) paid by insuranceexceeded the medical insurance fund by 5.13 trillion VND (225.7 million USD).
Many localities blamed the exceeding on thescheduled increase of healthcare service fees and frauds made by both insurancebuyers and medical establishments.
Thao said last year, the VSS and its localagencies stepped up streamlining administrative procedures and applyinginformation technology. While the number of administrative procedures has beenreduced to 32, it now takes businesses only 45 hours per year to work with thesocial insurance bodies to process relevant procedures.
The sector is set to push forward withadministrative reforms and IT application in 2017 to develop a modern,professional and effective social insurance system.
Social, health and unemployment insurance covered a total of 76.1 millionpeople last year, rising by 5.9 million from 2015. Up to 12.9 million peopleparticipated in mandatory social insurance, and 203,000 others bought voluntaryone. Unemployment insurance covered 11.1 million people.-VNA
VNA
