On the morning of November 17, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan, authorized by the Prime Minister, presented the Draft Resolution of the National Assembly on mechanisms and policies to effectively implement Resolution 72 of the Politburo on a number of breakthrough solutions, enhancing protection, care and improving people's health.
Accordingly, Resolution 72 stipulates 6 groups of tasks, including strong innovation in thinking and action in leadership, direction, organization of the implementation of the work of protecting, caring for and improving people's health.
Promote health finance reform and effectively and sustainably develop health insurance policies; make breakthroughs in developing science, technology, innovation and comprehensive digital transformation in health care and promote the development of private healthcare, mobilize and effectively use all resources for health development.
The draft Resolution submitted by the Government includes a group of policies on reducing health costs for people, including a policy from 2026 to conduct free periodic health check-ups at least once a year according to the target group and priority roadmap.
This proposal, according to the Minister of Health, is to comply with the provisions stated in Resolution 72 on "implementing periodic health check-ups or free screening visits for people at least once a year according to the target group and priority roadmap" and the budget balance capacity.
Accordingly, the Government proposes that from 2026, people will have regular health check-ups or free screening examinations at least once a year according to target groups and priority roadmaps.
Along with that, organize coordination between periodic health check-ups, free screening, health checks of students, occupational health check-ups, health check-ups for workers according to regulations and health insurance examination and treatment to provide free health check-ups and complete the creation of electronic health books for all people and assign the Government to determine appropriate funding sources for implementation.
The funding source for implementing this policy comes from many different sources, including periodic health check-ups, businesses spending on employees according to regulations, the Health Insurance Fund, the state budget, etc.
Of which, the state budget spends on priority subjects, estimated at about VND6,000 billion/year and may increase gradually according to the ability to balance.
Regarding free screening examination, the cost is from the national target program on health care, population and development for the period 2026-2035.
Also according to the submission, the Government proposed a policy of exempting hospital fees at a basic level within the scope of health insurance benefits according to the roadmap, in accordance with the socio-economic development conditions of the country.
Accordingly, the Government proposed that from 2027, the benefit level within the scope of health insurance benefits will be implemented at 100% for subjects in near-poor households, and for the elderly aged 75 and over who are receiving social pension benefits.
The budget for implementing this policy is estimated at about 455 billion VND to 2,738.9 billion VND from increasing the benefit level of groups of subjects paid by the Health Insurance Fund.
For this group, it is noteworthy that the Government has proposed additional policies to allow pilot implementation and diversify supplementary health insurance and health insurance packages according to people's needs.
The Government proposes that the National Assembly allow a pilot and assign the Government to specify this policy when eligible.
