Reducing the cost burden, parents can rest assured
Decree 188/2025/ND-CP, school year 2025-2026, more than 20 million students are officially entitled to a support policy of at least 50% of the health insurance contribution from the State budget. Accordingly, each student will only have to pay a maximum of about 631,800 VND/year, a decrease of nearly 253,000 VND compared to before.
When homeroom teachers disseminated this information, many workers and laborers with low incomes could not hide their joy and excitement.
Ms. Phan Thi Hien - a worker in Bac Thang Long Industrial Park (Hanoi) - said that she has 3 children, 2 of whom are of school age, and every time the new school year comes, she buys health insurance for her children because health insurance is very necessary. Last year, Ms. Hien's child unfortunately fell and had to be treated at the Central Hospital for Tropical Diseases. Thanks to health insurance, hospital fees have decreased by about 80%, the family only has to pay the rest.
"No matter how difficult the economy is, I think parents should still buy health insurance cards for their children because their health is very unpredictable. This year, when I heard the teacher about the payment support for students, I was very happy because the family's burden of expenses at the beginning of the school year had decreased significantly" - Ms. Hien shared.
Sharing the same sentiment with Ms. Hien, Ms. Le Thi Dung - a worker at Bac Thang Long Industrial Park - said that last year she had to pay more than 800,000 VND for her child's health insurance, but this year her child's health insurance only has to pay more than 600,000 VND.
"If I don't work overtime, my salary is only about 5 - 6 million VND, but if I work overtime regularly, it is only over 10 million VND. The couple's total income is only about 16 million VND/month. Therefore, reducing the health insurance premium for children has helped my family reduce some of the burden, especially at the beginning of the school year, when spending is increasing" - Ms. Dung said.
Humanitarian policy
According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet Nga - Member of the Committee on Culture and Education, Member of the 15th National Assembly, the State's support of 50% of the health insurance contribution for students is a social security policy with many practical meanings. This is not only a financial sharing with families, but also clearly demonstrates the Government's responsibility and deep concern for people's health.
Income-based fees at the beginning of the school year are always a big concern for many parents, especially low- and middle-income families in urban areas - where living and studying costs are high. The health insurance contribution rate is not large, but when combined with many other amounts of money, it will become a significant burden for parents. Therefore, supporting at least 50% of the health insurance contribution level is a timely measure, helping to reduce economic pressure on millions of households" - Ms. Nguyen Thi Viet Nga - Member of the Committee on Culture and Education, National Assembly Delegate of the 15th tenure - shared.
According to Ms. Nga, in addition to direct benefits, this policy also plays an important role in the strategy of expanding the coverage of all-people health insurance. Supporting groups of students - subjects with a health insurance participation rate of nearly 100% will help strengthen the social security system and spread awareness of health insurance participation in the whole society.
However, for the health insurance network to develop sustainably, Ms. Nga said that it is necessary to consider expanding the supported subjects and need additional supplementary policies such as: Improving the quality of medical examination and treatment, expanding the list of drugs covered, promoting preventive medicine and educating a healthy lifestyle, especially among students. These are long-term solutions to reduce the burden of disease and ensure the effectiveness of health insurance policies in practice.
