Response from the Ministry of Health to questions about medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance in Vietnam

Response from the Ministry of Health to questions about medical examination and treatment covered by health insurance in Vietnam (Internet image)

Regarding this issue, LawNet would like to answer as follows:

On November 3, 2023, the Ministry of Health issued Official Dispatch 7133/BYT-BH in response to Official Dispatch 3503/BHXH-CSYT on implementing a number of provisions of Decree 59/2022/ND-CP.

Documents proving identity in a health insurance medical examination and treatment

Specifically, Vietnam Social Security requests that the Ministry of Health provide clearer instructions: What are other legal identity documents or level 2 electronically identified documents according to the provisions of Decree 59/2022/ND-CP dated September 5, 2022 of the Government regulating electronic identification and authentication"? Can the health insurance card integrated into the VssID and VNeID applications be used to present when going for medical treatment?

According to the Ministry of Health, Decree 75/2023/ND-CP, in a comprehensive direction to ensure that when the health insurance card does not have a photo, people can replace it with other legal documents proving identity with a photo for identification when going for a health insurance medical examination.

Pursuant to the provisions of the Law on Health Insurance 2008 and Decree 75/2023/ND-CP, when going for medical treatment, health insurance participants can choose to present their health insurance card with a photo or a citizen identification card.

Only in the case of presenting a health insurance card without a photo must the health insurance participant additionally present one of the identification documents with a photo issued by a competent agency or organization; or confirmation from the commune-level police or other documents certified by the educational institution where the student is managed; or other legal ID documents or documents with level 2 electronic identification as prescribed in Decree 59/2022/ND-CP.

Regulations on legal identification documents other than citizen identification cards are also stipulated in a number of legal documents that regulate personal identification documents, such as: Article 6 of Decree 62/2021/ND-CP details a number of articles of the Law on Residence; Article 2 of Decree 123/2015/ND-CP details a number of articles and measures to implement the Law on Civil Status; and Circulars of the Ministry of Transport on aviation security, such as Circular 13/2019/TT-BGTVT, Circular 28/2020/TT-BGTVT, and Circular 41/2020/TT-BGTVT.

Accordingly, identification documents that can be used include: social insurance book, birth certificate, passport or travel document, separate visa; permanent residence card, temporary residence card; ID card, identity card, certificate of the People's Police; ID card, certificate of the People's Army...

The Ministry of Health also assessed that, currently, information about the health insurance card and photo of the person with the basic health insurance card have been integrated into the citizen identification card and citizen identification code. Basically, there is enough information and images to facilitate presentation when going for a health insurance medical examination.

Clarification about electronic documents

- Regarding documents with level 2 electronic identification:

According to Decree 59/2022/ND-CP in Clause 7, Article 3, it is stipulated: "Information is synchronized to the electronic identification account" is the information of the electronic identity subject shown in papers and documents issued by competent Vietnamese agencies and has been authenticated through the national database and specialized database to synchronize with the electronic identity account at the request of the electronic identity subject, including information about health insurance cards, vehicle registration certificates, driver's licenses, tax codes or other documents under the management of ministries and ministerial-level agencies after reaching agreement with the Ministry of Public Security".

Clause 2, Article 12 stipulates: An individual's level 2 electronic identification account includes information specified in Article 7 or Article 8 of Decree 59/2022/ND-CP, including portrait photos.

Clause 5, Article 13 regulates the use of level 2 electronic identification accounts created by electronic identification and authentication systems for electronic identity subjects who are Vietnamese citizens, it has the same value as using a citizen identification card in performing transactions requiring the presentation of a citizen identification card; has the value of providing information in citizen's documents that have been synchronized into the electronic identification account for comparison by competent agencies and organizations when performing transactions requiring the presentation of such documents, Clause 8 stipulates when the electronic identity subject uses a level 2 electronic identity account in electronic activities and transactions, the value is equivalent to presenting papers and documents to prove that information has been integrated into the electronic identification account.

- Regarding the use of health insurance cards integrated into VssID and VNeID applications when going for medical examination and treatment:

In case the health insurance card is integrated on the VNeID application: People's accounts that have been electronically identified at level 2 can use the health insurance card integrated on the VNeID application to go for medical examination and treatment under health insurance according to the provisions of Decree 59/2022/ND-CP.

In case the health insurance card is integrated into the VssID application: this content is currently being piloted by Vietnam Social Insurance. If using a level 2 electronic identity account as prescribed in Decree 59/2022/ND-CP to log in to the VssID application, the integrated health insurance card on the VssID application for medical examinations and treatment with health insurance can be used.

Nguyen Ngoc Que Anh

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