Based on the effectiveness assessment after more than 5 months of implementing Resolution No. 56/2025/NQ-HĐND, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee has completed the dossier to submit amendments and supplements to the resolution in the direction of expanding the subjects who are 100% supported by the local budget for health insurance (HI) contributions from people aged 65 to under 75 to people aged 60 to under 75.
If approved by the Ho Chi Minh City People's Council, people aged 60 to under 65 who do not yet belong to groups that have been paid or supported by the state budget for health insurance according to regulations will be supported 100% of the health insurance contribution level. The policy is expected to contribute to moving closer to the goal of universal health insurance coverage and comprehensive health care for the elderly in the City.
According to statistics from Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance, as of May 31, 2026, the whole City has issued health insurance cards to 276,208 people aged 65 to under 75 according to Resolution No. 56/2025/NQ-HĐND. In just the first 5 months of this year, this group of subjects generated 1.47 million medical examinations and treatments with total costs paid by the Health Insurance Fund of more than 1,083 billion VND. This result shows that the policy has been practically effective, helping to reduce the burden of medical examination and treatment costs for the elderly, especially freelancers, people with unstable incomes or difficult circumstances.
Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance said that the proposal to expand policies has a full legal and practical basis. The Law on the Elderly in 2009 stipulates that the elderly are Vietnamese citizens aged 60 and over, while the Population Law in 2025 allows local authorities to decide on support policies suitable to socio-economic development conditions, including financial support for health insurance participation.
The survey results of Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance for 3,552 people showed that up to 97.7% of people aged 60 to under 65 years old surveyed assessed that the City's 100% support for health insurance contributions is necessary or very necessary. Meanwhile, 98.2% of people currently benefiting from the current policy believe that the policy brings practical efficiency.
According to statistics, if the proposal is approved, there will be 195,918 permanent residents from 60 years old to under 65 years old who do not have health insurance cards will be 100% supported by the local budget for contributions. A survey of 2,630 people in this age group shows that 60.6% of respondents have difficulty or great difficulty in self-paying health insurance because they have quit their jobs, no longer have stable income sources or mainly live on personal savings and family support.
Ho Chi Minh City Social Insurance believes that expanding policies will contribute to completing the goal of 100% of elderly people having health insurance cards according to the Resolution of the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Party Congress, term 2025-2030, and at the same time increasing the health insurance coverage rate of the City to over 95% in 2026 and moving towards universal health insurance coverage by 2030. The estimated additional funding for policy implementation is about 267.6 billion VND per year.
Currently, the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee is submitting to the Standing Committee of the City People's Council for consideration of including this content in the resolution development program for early promulgation and implementation in practice.
