Vietnam proposes streamlined health insurance verification procedures

Vietnam's Ministry of Health is consulting on a draft decree to amend regulations regarding health insurance (BHYT) examination and treatment procedures. The proposed changes aim to reduce the paperwork burden on patients by allowing medical facilities to proactively search for data through national and specialized databases or online systems.

Under the draft, patients can provide health insurance information and identity verification via several methods, including ID cards, citizen identity cards, level 2 electronic identification (VNeID), the VssID application, or physical/electronic insurance cards. Medical facilities will only request additional identity documents if they are unable to retrieve information through digital databases.

For children under six, requirements are simplified to presenting a paper or electronic insurance card, an insurance ID number, or, if a card has not yet been issued, a birth certificate or information integrated into a parent's VNeID. For newborns, parents or relatives may sign medical records to verify identity.