Article 16.4 of the 2008 Law on Health Insurance, amended and supplemented in 2014, clearly states that health insurance cards are invalid in the following cases:
– The card has expired;
– The card has been altered or erased;
– The named insured person is no longer participating in health insurance.
Thus, if the insured person alters or erases information on the health insurance card or does not continue to participate or renew the card, it will become invalid. This means that when seeking medical treatment, the insured will not be supported by the Health Insurance Fund and will have to pay all expenses out-of-pocket.
Previously, the act of altering or erasing information on a health insurance card could result in a fine of up to VND 2 million under Article 65.1 of Decree No. 176/2013/ND-CP. However, according to Decree No. 117/2020/ND-CP, which took effect on November 15, 2020, this act is no longer subject to administrative sanctions. Nevertheless, the insured will not be entitled to health insurance benefits.
Therefore, to have medical expenses covered according to the prescribed ratio, individuals must participate in health insurance and renew their cards when they expire. If the card has been altered or erased, the insured must apply for a replacement card at the social insurance agency.
How to know if your health insurance card has expired?
According to the guidance in Official Dispatch No. 3340/BHXH-ST, from August 1, 2017, the health insurance card will not indicate the expiration date but only the date from which the card takes effect. Therefore, the validity period of the health insurance card will be based on the insured participant’s category. Specifically:
– For exempt groups: The health insurance card is valid from the date of issuance until the participant no longer belongs to this group.
For example: For children under 6 years old, the health insurance card is valid until the child reaches 72 months of age.
– For employed groups with contributions made by employees and employers: The health insurance card is valid from the date of issuance until the contribution payment ceases.
In reality, when checking the validity of a health insurance card for an employee working under an employment contract, the result will show that the card is valid until the end of the year of the inquiry. However, if the employee leaves the company, and the business reports the cessation of health insurance participation for that employee, the card will only be valid until the end of that month.
– For households with health insurance contributions: The health insurance card is valid from the date of issuance until the household stops participating in health insurance.
– For supported groups: The health insurance card is valid from the date of issuance until the group stops participating in health insurance.
Additionally, to know the exact expiration date of the health insurance card, insured individuals can check through the following methods:
Method 1: Online inquiry:
– Step 1: Access the link: https://baohiemxahoi.gov.vn/tracuu/pages/tra-cuu-thoi-han-su-dung-the-bhyt.aspx
– Step 2: Enter the card code, full name, and date of birth
Method 2: Inquiry via text message (VND 1,000 per message)
Compose a text message with the following syntax: BH{space}THE{space}Card Code and send it to 8079
For example: Send BH THE HC4010110129425 to 8079
Results:
– Health insurance card code;
– Initial registered healthcare facility;
– Validity (valid until which date);
– Time point of having 5 consecutive years of participation.
