Patients with public health insurance receive medicine at a hospital in HCM City. —VNS Photo Thu Hằng

HCM CITY — The HCM City Social Security Office has proposed to support 100 per cent of health insurance premiums for people aged from 60 to under 75 years old who are not eligible for retirement or eligible for State budget sponsorship.

The proposal has been sent to the municipal Party Committee as part of solutions to implement social insurance and health insurance policies in the city following its merger with Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu and Bình Dương provinces.

In addition, other groups are also proposed to receive support, including people with critical illnesses, unemployed workers after unemployment benefits expire, orphans, people with mild disabilities, poor and near-poor students (partially supported), and individuals participating in local security and order protection forces.

After the merger, the expanded city is applying different support resolutions depending on the areas of former HCM City, Bình Dương or Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu.

The former HCM City supports 100 per cent of health insurance premiums for people aged 75 and over from poor and near-poor households in Cần Giờ, people with serious illnesses, abandoned orphans, and children with mild disabilities from six to 16 years old. Poor students are supported with 70 per cent of health insurance premiums.

The former Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province supports all health insurance costs for people aged 65 and over, the poor and those who have just escaped poverty. Students are supported with 50 per cent of health insurance premiums.

The former Bình Dương Province supports 100 per cent of health insurance costs for people aged 70 and over, ethnic minorities, unemployed workers after unemployment benefits expire, and those who have just escaped poverty within two years.

All three localities have policies to support 100 per cent of voluntary social insurance and health insurance for security and order protection forces at the grassroots level.

To ensure the rights of the people, the city Social Security proposed to use the highest support policies of the three localities as the basis for building a new resolution.

The new policies are expected to be submitted to a meeting of the municipal People's Council at the end of 2025.

If the proposal is approved, more than 2.85 million people in the city will benefit from the policy, with a total annual support budget of about VNĐ1.59 trillion (US$60.69 million).

The city plans to implement solutions to increase coverage and synchronise policies on social insurance and health insurance to protect citizen rights, whether in the centre or remote areas.

After the merger, the city has a population of about 14 million people. The rate of social insurance coverage both mandatory and voluntary reaches 57 per cent of the workforce and the rate of health insurance participation reaches 95 per cent. —VNS