Tien Dung, a resident of Thanh Hoa Province in north-central Vietnam, recently inquired whether his wife, a foreigner who just entered the country, is eligible for household health insurance.

For that question, lawyer Hoang Van Chien from the Hanoi Bar Association clarifies that household health insurance is coverage extended to a household, encompassing all individuals listed in the family register or temporary residence book, and organized by the state for non-profit purposes. 

Therefore, if Dung’s wife is registered as part of the household, either temporarily or permanently, she is eligible for household health insurance as stipulated by law. 

This pertains to Clause 5, Article 12 of the Law on Health Insurance, as amended and supplemented by the Law revising certain articles of the Law on Health Insurance, and also Clause 1, Clause 2, Article 2 of Decree No. 104/2022/ND-CP issued on December 21, 2022 by the Vietnamese government to amend and supplement several articles of decrees concerning the submission and presentation of household registration books and temporary residence papers. 

In Vietnam, household health insurance will fully cover medical expenses for outpatient treatment at communal health clinics if the costs are below 15 percent of the participant’s basic salary. 

Moreover, it will cover 80 percent of the hospital fees for health examinations or hospital beds in other instances of treatment at communal health clinics. 

Health insurance participants can receive full coverage for medical expenses at district-level hospitals for outpatient treatment and at provincial or district-level hospitals for inpatient treatment, even without a referral document, provided they complete health insurance procedures.

They will also entitled to 40-percent coverage for inpatient treatment at central-level hospitals.

Like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to get the latest news about Vietnam!