Research o­n policies for

health insurance development

Nguyen Thi Thanh, Le Quang Hoanh, Tran Mai Oanh,

Duong Huy Luong, Phan Hong Van,

Nguyen Thi Thang, Tran Vu Hiep

Place of publication: Health strategy and policy institute

Year of publication: 2005

Based o­n the experience of voluntary health insurance, it is necessary to propose solutions for strengthening the ability to participate in health insurance of people in the rural areas and expanding health insurance to cover everyone.

Objectives: research and analysis of the prepaid financial models for health care including voluntary health insurance in rural areas, then propose solutions for stable health insurance in rural areas, contributing to the expansion of health insurance coverage in Vietnam.

Methods: Secondary data analysis and quick evaluation survey. Some documents from the two workshops o­n health insurance development were also used.

Results and conclusions: (1) Besides health insurance, there are no other significant prepaid forms; (2) Health insurance coverage is increasing every year (by 2004 20,5% of the population were covered); (3) Voluntary health insurance for farmers was piloted in most provinces and cities in different forms and for different target groups. (4) There are many factors affecting health insurance participation of people. (5) There are many reasons to make voluntary health insurance for farmers not attracting and difficult to develop...

Recommendations for the implementation and development of voluntary health insurance for farmers:

- Policies and intersector co-operation: research should be carried out in order to have laws about health insurance for everyone.

- Increasing the coverage of health insurance: thoroughly implementing compulsory health insurance; purchasing health insurance cards for poor people, children under six years of age and beneficiaries of social welfare; health insurance for families of military officers, civil servants, workers. Identifying potential groups of subjects, developing household health insurance; Local authorities have to consider this as their responsibility, clasify subjects; Localities need to have self-control; Reinforcing the state management for health insurance; ensure rights; partial assistance for health insurance fee from the central and local budget.

- Social insurance agency: improving the form and mechanism of operation, payment mode, avoid inconveniences, expand the interests of participants.; increasing communication; calculating a reasonable level of fee for different groups of people and different regions.

- Ministry of Health and health care units: seeking for ways to upgrade facilities and equipments for health care system, increase the quality and accessibility of health services for people at the localities and poor regions.

- Community: people need to be informed about interests and obligations of health insurance participants; leaders of the authorities and social organisations mobilize people to participate in healthinsurance; community is involved in the supervision health insurance activities.