Vietnam’s Decree 188 keeps health insurance contributions at 4.5% of the basic salary, with scaled discounts for additional family members. The scheme covers 80% of medical costs, offering access to 2,400 drugs and 9,000 services, including treatment for cancer, heart disease, and rare illnesses.
The Vietnamese government has introduced Decree 188, providing detailed guidance on the implementation of several provisions of the Health Insurance Law, local media reported.
Under the new decree, the health insurance contribution rate will remain unchanged at 4.5 percent of the current basic salary. Vietnam Social Security has also announced additional state support for family health insurance payments. The first family member will contribute the full 4.5 percent of the basic salary, which is equivalent to about VND 2.34 million, or 100 US dollars, per month. Contributions for subsequent members of the same household will be reduced on a sliding scale, with the second member paying 70 percent of the first member’s rate, the third 60 percent, and the fourth 50 percent. From the fifth member onward, the contribution level will drop to 40 percent of the initial rate.
The decree also reinforces provisions that give health insurance participants the right to freely choose their initial medical examination and treatment facility. The health insurance fund will continue to cover 80 percent of medical costs, with no limitations on disease type, patient age, duration of treatment, or total expense levels. Coverage extends to an extensive range of services, including more than 2,400 kinds of medicines and roughly 9,000 medical technical services, from routine care to advanced treatment for cancer, cardiovascular diseases, rare illnesses and other serious conditions.
