For the new school year, parents receive information that student healthcare insurance payment is higher and they must pay for 15 month insurance.
This year, parents should pay VND543,375 (US$24.1) for health insurance in stead of VND289,800 (US$12.8) for the last school year.
Families with 2 or 3 children who are primary and junior high school students are so worried. In addition to tuition fee, uniform, textbooks, they have to pay for health insurance which is not a small amount.
Many parents do not trust in treatment quality with insurance in district hospital and do not want to waste time so they often take their children to private clinics or hospitals for examination and treatment although they have to buy health insurance year by year. They say their children have never enjoyed interest healthcare insurance
Deputy Director of Social Insurance Company in HCMC Nguyen Thi Thu said that students are forced to buy health insurance and the rate of students buying insurance is 86 percent. The company bases on the monthly basic salary to propose the health insurance payment.
As per the new law of medical insurance taking effect on January 1, 2015, health insurance payment increased from 3 percent to 4.5 percent of basic salary ( or VND1,150,000 (US$51.1); state budget will support 30 percent ( or VND232,875 ), students just pay VND543,375 for 15 months
According to the circular of the ministries of Health and Finance, parents must pay health insurance in a financial year not for a school year. This year is the financial year which means parents must pay for 15 month insurance. In 2017, the financial year includes just 12 months as usual.
To resolve the problem, the insurance company and the municipal Department of Education and Training liaised together and consented that students from low-income families who can not afford for 15 month insurance can pay two times. Students of families whose economic conditions are on poverty line or close to poverty line will not buy insurance in schools as they are given free insurance cards or just pay 30 percent when buying healthcare insurance.
