VietNamNet Bridge – The Government might delay the healthcare fee hike, which is originally set for November and December, for fear that it could rekindle inflationary concerns.

Illustrative image – Photo: VNA/VNS

In the current plan, healthcare fees will be adjusted up by 30-50% for insured patients in 16 cities and provinces before the spike applies to other parts of the country in December.

Pham Luong Son, deputy director of Vietnam Social Insurance (VSI), said the health insurance fund spends more money than it collects at the moment, with the deficit already amounting to VND10 trillion (US$448 million), because healthcare fees were revised up in 32 provinces in the two recent rounds.

The health insurance fund’s original outlay for coping with the hospital fee increases was VND16 trillion but this sum would not be enough.

However, in the third round of fee rises, the fund would have to spend an extra VND1.9 trillion covering medical examinations and treatments of the insured, and another VND1.5 trillion would be needed for the fourth medical fee change.

Phan Van Toan, deputy head of the Health Insurance Department under the Ministry of Health, said salaries and allowances for health workers should have been added to healthcare fees since July 1.

As calculated by the ministry and VSI, the health insurance fund can still be balanced if healthcare fees are adjusted up.

However, as the hospital fee hike will be priced in the CPI, the new fees, to which wages and allowances of health workers are added, will apply to the provinces where a majority of their populations are medically insured.

The higher fees will go into force nationwide from January 1 next year. Meanwhile, costs of medical equipment will be factored into hospital fees in 2018.

SGT