HÀ NỘI — In alignment with the spirit of the 14th Party Congress, future health insurance policies will shift from broad coverage towards high-quality, sustainable and effective development.

On February 4, Vietnam Social Security announced that the national health insurance scheme had achieved its five-year target ahead of schedule. By the end of 2025, coverage had reached 95.2 per cent of the population, solidifying the programme’s status as a cornerstone of the nation’s social security system.

Modern medical equipment put into use has made a significant contribution to healthcare for people in remote and underserved areas of Ca Mau Province. VNA/VNS Photo Chanh Đa

This figure exceeds the target set by the Resolution of the 13th National Party Congress by 0.16 percentage points. Significantly, it marks the completion of the goals outlined in Resolution No. 42-NQ/TW, which aims for over 95 per cent coverage by 2030, five years ahead of schedule.

This represents the highest coverage rate recorded to date and has been maintained consistently nationwide despite significant challenges posed by natural disasters, climate change and difficult socio-economic conditions in various localities. The result underscores improved policy implementation capacity, closely linking social security objectives with sustainable development requirements.

A report from Vietnam Social Security indicates that in 2025, the national health system handled an estimated 195.5 million health insurance-covered medical visits, with total claim costs proposed for payment amounting to approximately VNĐ161,628 trillion. These figures demonstrate the central role of the Health Insurance Fund in meeting the public’s growing healthcare needs.

Notably, health insurance has served as a crucial financial shield for vulnerable groups and patients suffering from critical illnesses. In practice, the Fund has covered billions of dong for numerous complex medical cases.

A prime example in 2025 involved a patient in Châu Thới Commune, Cà Mau Province, diagnosed with hereditary Factor VIII deficiency, who received a record payout of nearly VNĐ6.7 billion. Similarly, many paediatric patients requiring high-tech treatments, such as organ transplants and cardiovascular surgery, have received adequate benefits, significantly reducing financial burdens and mitigating the risk of illness-induced poverty.

Policy implementation has also made substantial technological progress. By 2025, the social security and health insurance systems had finalised 70 end-to-end online public services, achieving full integration with the National Public Service Portal.

The use of digital health insurance cards via the VssID and VNeID platforms has significantly simplified administrative procedures. Statistics show that over 91 per cent of dossiers, equivalent to 113.5 million files, were received and processed electronically. These reform efforts have raised public satisfaction to 89.5 per cent, exceeding the target set by Resolution No. 28-NQ/TW for 2025 by 4.5 percentage points.

The achievements in expanding coverage over the past period testify to the Party’s sound leadership and the coordinated efforts of the entire political system. Beyond the statistics, the policy has advanced the vision of inclusive development, ensuring that no one is left behind.

Fully embracing the spirit of the 14th Party Congress, Vietnam Social Security stated that in the coming period, health insurance policy will undergo a strategic shift from broad coverage to high-quality, sustainable and effective development. The focus will be on improving healthcare service quality, modernising Fund management and safeguarding the interests of participants, thereby enhancing national competitiveness in the new era of development. VNS