If I am on sick leave, do I have to pay health insurance in Vietnam?

1. If I am on sick leave, do I have to pay health insurance in Vietnam?

In Clause 1, Article 7 of Decree 146/2018/ND-CP stipulating health insurance contribution rates and health insurance contribution responsibilities as follows:

1. Monthly health insurance contribution rates shall be subject to the following regulations:

a) The contribution rate shall be equal to 4.5% of the employee’s monthly pay with respect to those policyholders specified in clause 1, Article 1 of this Decree.

- Employees on sick leaves from at least 14 days per a month in accordance with laws on social insurance shall not be required to pay health insurance contributions and shall be entitled to health insurance benefits;

- With respect to employees that are detained, held in custody or suspended from work for investigations, consideration of judgement whether they have committed violations against laws, the monthly contribution rate shall be defined as 4.5% of 50% of each employee's monthly pay. In case where a competent authority makes its judgement that none of violations has been committed, the employee shall be required to pay health insurance contributions in proportion to the accrued pay amount that he/she has received;

b) The contribution rate shall be equal to 4.5% of the retirement pension and incapacity benefit with respect to those policyholders specified in clause 1, Article 2 of this Decree;

c) The contribution rate shall be equal to 4.5% of the monthly pay that an employee receives before his/her pregnancy and parental leave with respect to those policyholders specified in clause 5, Article 2 of this Decree;

d) The contribution rate shall be equal to 4.5% of the unemployment benefit with respect to those policyholders specified in clause 6, Article 2 of this Decree;

dd) The contribution rate shall be equal to 4.5% of the base pay rate with respect to those policyholders other than the abovementioned;

e) The health insurance contribution rate of those policyholders defined in Article 5 hereof shall be determined as follows: The first policyholder shall be required to pay 4.5% of the base pay rate; the second, third and fourth policyholder shall be required to pay 70%, 60% and 50%, respectively, of the contribution rate of the first policyholder; the fifth and subsequent policyholder shall be required to pay 40% of the contribution rate of the first policyholder.

Any relief or deduction in the health insurance contribution rate as specified in this point shall be granted only if family members participate in the family-based health insurance within the same financial year.

Thus, you do not specify how many days you have been absent from work in a month. If you have taken sick leave from at least 14 days per a month, you will not have to pay health insurance but still enjoy health insurance benefits in Vietnam.

2. Can my participation in health insurance be interrupted in Vietnam?

According to Clause 5, Article 12 of Decree 146/2018/ND-CP, health insurance cards is prescribed as follows:

5. The consecutive 5-year or longer period of health insurance participation of policyholders making co-payment of healthcare costs. The consecutive period of health insurance participation refers to the date subsequent to the previous date of issue inscribed on a health insurance card; in case of an interval, it must be less than 03 months.

With respect to persons dispatched by competent authorities to go on an educational or business trip; spouses, natural children, or legally adopted children aged under 18 years, accompanying their parents serving terms of office at Vietnam’s overseas missions, their overseas stay period shall be accepted as the period of health insurance participation.

With respect to employees working abroad, the period of their health insurance participation before their overseas work shall be assumed as the period of health insurance participation if they resume participating in the health insurance within duration of 30 days from the date of their entry.

If employees await completion of required procedures for entitlement to unemployment benefits as provided by the Law on Employment, the period of the previous health insurance participation shall be assumed as the period of health insurance participation.

With respect to policyholders, referred to in point a of clause 3 of Article 12 of the Law on Health Insurance, who retire, are demobilized, transfer to other business or resign, if they have not yet participated in the health insurance during the period of their study or military service in the people’s army, the people’s public security force or a cryptographic body, that period shall be assumed as the consecutive period of health insurance participation.

Therefore, during the period of participating in health insurance of 5 years in Vietnam, the participation can be interrupted but the interruption must less than 03 months.

Best Regards!