VietNamNet Bridge – The number of health insurance buyers has reduced by 1.2 million in the first four months of 2015 compared to 64 million by the end of 2014.

The number of insurance buyers has mainly fallen in the family health insurance category. — Photo vtc.vn

At a press conference this morning, Vu Xuan Bang, deputy head of the Department for Health Insurance Policy Implementation of the Viet Nam Social Insurance Agency (VSIA), said that the number of buyers has majorly fallen in the family health insurance category, making up 15 per cent.

Bang noted that the lack of proper public awareness of new health insurance regulations and complicated administrative procedures in some localities are the main reasons for the poor show.

Many households cannot register for health insurance services for an entire family because they cannot submit the copies of the health insurance card or the temporary residence registration of their family members who are abroad on business or are living and working in other provinces or cities, according to Bang.

Bang stressed that a household may sign up for health insurance services for all family members, including members who haven't bought any health insurance card yet or members who are living or working in other provinces.

Citizens can ask their local authorities to confirm their residential status and no other document is required, Bang said.

The deputy head added that many localities did not take the initiative to implement the new health insurance regulations that took effect on early 2015.

Confused about new regulations, health insurance agencies waited for customers to approach them instead of going to their houses and selling them health insurance cards.

Deputy director of the health ministry's health insurance department Le Van Kham said that the health and insurance sectors will work with relevant sectors in the future to promulgate instructions for the implementation of family health insurance services by focusing on simplifying administrative procedures relating to the registration of residence and temporary residential documents.

VNS