Ho Chi Minh City: Hospitals have not yet settled nearly 2,500 billion VND of health insurance in 2 years

On August 4, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health sent a document to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee regarding payment of costs exceeding the estimated health insurance (HI) medical examination and treatment expenditure in 2023 and 2024.

The document said that according to reports from medical examination and treatment facilities, the Department of Health recorded that the Social Insurance agency has not paid the cost of exceeding the estimated health insurance examination and treatment costs in 2023 and 2024 for hospitals with an amount of nearly 2,500 billion VND (including more than 557 billion VND in 2023 and nearly 1,930 billion VND in 2024).

According to the Department of Health, the fact that health insurance medical examination and treatment costs exceeding the budget for too long have not been paid is causing difficulties for units in ensuring operating funds and balancing financial revenues and expenditures.

Especially in the context where the price of medical examination and treatment services has not been calculated correctly and fully, it has a certain impact on the unit's operations and the rights of patients.

More worryingly, some units are currently in debt for medicine and are unable to pay the companies.

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Health said that regarding instructions on paying for costs exceeding the estimated cost of health insurance examination and treatment, the Government has issued decrees, now Decree No. 188/2025/ND-CP detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Health Insurance.

Therefore, the Department of Health requested the City People's Committee to consider issuing a document requesting the Ministry of Health and Vietnam Social Security to guide the City Social Security to promptly pay the excess amount of health insurance examination and treatment expenditure estimates in 2023 and 2024 to medical examination and treatment facilities.

Early payment will create conditions for units to ensure operating funds when implementing financial autonomy, which is still facing many difficulties at present.