5% of the population is not participating, equivalent to millions of people, which means that their health financial risks are huge and they are prone to poverty when they are sick. When a serious illness occurs, the health system still has to bear the costs, creating pressure on the budget and insurance fund. The national security target has not been completed, affecting the sustainability of the system.
According to the roadmap set by the Ministry of Health, hospital fees will be implemented in three phases, the health insurance contribution level will also increase accordingly. From 2026, people will have regular health check-ups or free screening examinations at least once a year according to priority groups and routes; also from 2026, health insurance participants who are from near-poor households, people aged 75 and over who are receiving social pension benefits, will be subject to 100% of medical examination and treatment costs within the scope of benefits.
After 2030, the policy of exempting hospital fees for all people within the scope of the basic service package is to screen for 3-5 common diseases.
The leaders of the Ministry of Health said that to effectively implement the hospital fee exemption policy, it must be based on a solid foundation, the Health Insurance Fund, combined with the State budget and socialized resources. The goal is to pay for basic and essential medical services, thereby minimizing the financial burden on people, especially vulnerable groups, low-income people and policy beneficiaries. Therefore, hospital fees must go hand in hand with coverage of public health insurance, so that the whole society can "share the cost" with the sick.
An indispensable factor in implementing an effective hospital exemption policy is the management and transparency of the Health Insurance Fund. Authorities need to ensure that the Health Insurance Fund is used for the right purpose and there is no abuse or profiteering. Here, there is a great responsibility of the Vietnam Social Security - the unit assigned to organize the implementation of health insurance
This not only ensures the sustainability of the Fund but also creates trust for people in the health insurance system, helping people volunteer to participate in health insurance, increasing coverage rate. Strengthening supervision and the use of information technology in health cost management will help reduce waste and improve resource efficiency.
The synchronous participation of functional agencies, businesses and people, along with enhancing transparency and strict management of the Health Insurance Fund, are fundamental factors to achieve the goal of Directive No. 52-CT/TW dated October 3, 2025 of the Secretariat on implementing universal health insurance in the new period.
