Analysis of self-paying expenses of people with health insurance cards at Saint-Paul hospital in Hanoi
Analysis of self-paying expenses of people
with health insurance cards at Saint-Paul hospital in Hanoi
Nguyen Thi Kim Chuc, Nguyen Khanh Phuong
Place of publication: Health strategy and policy institute
Year of publication: 2002
Objectives: Research on expenses for health care of people with health insurance cards at Saint-Paul hospital in Hanoi.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The data were collected by direct interviews of insured patients and from the finance-accountance department of Saint-Paul hospital.
Results: Half of the out-patients have to pay for extra expenses besides those covered by health insurance. The proportion between self-paying expenses and those covered by health insurance is 1,2-1. Self-paying expenses of the out-patients belong to the 20% that is not covered by health insurance. The majority of the in-patients also have to pay extra expenses besides those covered by health insurance. The proportion between self-paying expenses and those covered by health insurance is 1,1-1. Self-paying expenses of the in-patients are mostly for medicine and indirect expenses (travelling, food, gifts, etc.). Concerning the quality of outpatient health care, the patients are still not satisfied with the quality of medicine ditributed, long waiting time and complicated administrative procedures. Concerning the quality of inpatient health care, payment procedures and the quality of treatment are the most unsatisfactory issues.
Conclusions: Administrative procedures for health care registration and payment at the hospitalshould be simplified for patients with health insurance cards. The hospital should also ensure regular medicine supply for the insured patients. The health insurance agency need to improve the management mode of the health insurance fund and payment mode for insured people in order to maintain safety of the fund and at the same time increase the interests for insured people, thus increasing the attractiveness of health insurance for people, aiming at reaching the goal of health insurance for everyone by 2010.
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