A resident in Hậu Giang Province learns about health insurance benefits. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Health has proposed a supplementary voluntary health insurance package applicable to those who have participated in compulsory health insurance.

Trần Thị Trang, head of the ministry’s Health Insurance Department, said the goal is to provide patients with advantages that go above and beyond what their compulsory health insurance covers, as well as to lower their costs.

It is expected the package will be a form of voluntary insurance for those who have participated in compulsory health insurance, she said.

It will cover additional values such as co-payments, additional benefits that patients need and additional services currently not covered by health insurance.

"The fee for supplementary health insurance will be determined by insurance businesses," Trang said.

"However, the State will regulate the principles for establishing the fee to ensure that patient’s benefits and coverage scope must not overlap with compulsory health insurance.”

Insurance companies are required to include all individuals with needs and conditions. They are not allowed to pick and select individuals, nor may they impose rules that would prevent certain groups of healthy people from signing contracts.

There are now two types of health insurance available in Việt Nam: compulsory health insurance and commercial health insurance.

Compulsory health insurance is managed by the State under the Health Insurance Law for social, not for profit purposes.

All are required to participate in health insurance following the Health Insurance Law.

The health insurance fund pays medical examination and treatment costs covered by health insurance for subjects following the Health Insurance Law. Service users must pay for the portion beyond the benefit level and scope of benefits.

Meanwhile commercial health insurance is provided by insurance businesses following the Law on Insurance Business.

The commercial health insurance is designed to suit all wishes of the signers and not compulsory like social and health insurance managed by the State. The insurance contract is based on each person's conditions and needs.

The Ministry of Health assesses that the commercial health insurance has many options for participants thanks to a variety of benefit packages. However, the scope of benefits covered by the commercial health insurance often overlaps with those already paid by compulsory health insurance.

Commercial insurance providers tend to choose services to cover, affecting the participants' benefits. Because the State does not intervene but depends on the insurance contract developed by the company itself, patients' rights are not fully protected.

In practice, health insurance participants still have to co-pay for services within the benefits scope and pay in full for services outside the scope of benefits, even though health insurance in Việt Nam generally covers a wide range of benefits.

In the context of increasing people's income and need for comprehensive care, the provision of additional health insurance is essential, said the health ministry. — VNS