The Ministry of Health said it had received an Official Dispatch from the Petition and Supervision Committee on transferring additional petitions from voters sent after the 9th session of the 15th National Assembly, in which voters in An Giang province.
Accordingly, voters in An Giang proposed to consider removing the regulation on referral for medical examination and treatment, because the current process of applying for a referral letter still causes many difficulties, takes time and affects the rights and convenience of people when accessing medical services.
Meanwhile, voters in Vinh Long province believe that the referral of patients with health insurance still has many shortcomings. Therefore, voters recommend having better health insurance policies for people when examining for health.
Responding to voters, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan said: The health insurance examination and treatment unit was established to ensure that patients are treated in accordance with their health status, in which cases beyond the treatment capacity of the grassroots level will be transferred to higher levels.
Fusion helps reduce overload at upper-level medical examination and treatment facilities, limit transplantation and improve treatment effectiveness.
The Minister of Information informed: The policy of opening health insurance examination and treatment lines has been implemented since 2016, health insurance participants nationwide have been opened nationwide at the district and provincial levels.
In addition, ethnic minorities and people living in island communes and island districts are allowed to receive direct inpatient medical examination and treatment at central hospitals without a referral letter, creating favorable conditions for people to access quality health services.
On January 1, 2025, the Ministry of Health issued a list of 62 serious diseases and rare diseases, allowing health insurance participants with these diseases to be transferred directly to central hospitals without the need for referral procedures.
Regarding this list, the Ministry of Health has instructed patients with 62 diseases in the list when diagnosed, determined at the initial level to enjoy the benefits according to regulations when they go to the specialized level for examination and treatment. That is, no referral letter is required but still 100% of health insurance benefits are enjoyed as prescribed.
For example, when participating in health insurance for initial or basic medical examination and treatment and being determined to have a disease in the list of 62 diseases that are transferred directly, they do not need to apply for a referral letter but can go directly to the specialized level.
In case the patient goes to a specialized medical examination and treatment facility and is diagnosed with a disease in the list of 62 rare diseases, serious diseases, they will also enjoy benefits right in this examination and treatment.
If the patient has been diagnosed with a disease in a group of diseases, diseases in the list of 62 rare and serious diseases, and is examined and treated at a specialized level without a referral letter, the health insurance will still pay 100%, but if he/she is proposed to examine and treat other diseases, he/she will only enjoy health insurance benefits according to the prescribed scope - benefit level. Not entitled to the same benefits as for medical examination and treatment of rare diseases and serious diseases.
Regarding the development of a better health insurance policy for people when examining for diseases, Minister Dao Hong Lan affirmed that the Ministry of Health always considers ensuring the rights of health insurance participants, especially the adequate supply of medicine, medical supplies, technical services and timely and transparent payments, as a key task, associated with the goal of social security and health care for people.
Regarding health insurance policies, regarding the proposal to continue researching and consider exempting health insurance for students to reduce the burden on many households, Minister Dao Hong Lan said that according to the provisions of the Law on Health Insurance, Decree No. 188/2025/ND-CP dated July 1, 2025 of the Government, the group of students paying health insurance is group 4.
This group of subjects is supported with a minimum of 50% of the health insurance contribution level, higher than the minimum support level of 30% for households and equivalent to the support level for the fourth member of the household (50%).
