Khanh Hoa (VNA) - The 35th ASEAN SocialSecurity Association (ASSA) Board Meeting continued on September 19, withmembers sharing practical outcomes in carrying out social and health insurancepolicies.

Delegates from Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia,the Philippines and Vietnam presented their views and lessons drawn from theimplementation of the policies.

A representative from the Lao National Social Security Fundtalked about the country’s method to improve coverage of voluntary socialinsurance. Accordingly, Lao citizens aging between 18 and 60 and capable of workingare eligible to join voluntary social insurance. The premiums are equivalent tonine percent of their monthly salaries and can be paid via banking applicationsor at the insurance’s office. Benefits under the voluntary social insurance aremore diverse than those in Vietnam.

Many ASSA members reported that they took advantage ofinformation and technology in reforming social welfare procedures. For example,Thailand has employed a smart phone application that allows users to select andchange hospitals for their health insurance, and manage insurance payments andclaims. The method has helped cut time and cost for insurance participants.

At the session discussing health insurance, ASSA memberspraised Vietnam’s achievement in developing an assessment and multiple-levelpayment system. The assessment database, which connects all medical facilitiescovered by health insurance with the Vietnam Social Security (VSS) via theinternet, was put into use in 2016. The database consists of more than 81million profiles of insurance card holders and hundreds of millions of healthrecords needed to be accessed annually. The system has helped the VSS increaseits management of health insurance fund, and prevention of fund abuses.

The session also delved into difficulties in expanding thecoverage of social and health insurance in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, amongothers.

The ongoing 35th ASSA Board Meeting, hosted bythe VSS, opened on September 18 in Nha Trang, theresort city of Khanh Hoa in central Vietnam. It brought together about 170delegates, including the ASSA President, leaders of national social securityinstitutions and diplomats from ASEAN member states.

The event’s main theme is the challenges and opportunitiesof ASEAN social security institutions in the context of the 4th IndustrialRevolution and free flow of labour.

The ASSA was found in 1998 following the signing of aMemorandum of Agreement in Bangkok, Thailand on February 13 that year,involving heads of social security institutions from five countries - thePhilippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. Representatives fromLaos and Vietnam also attended the signing ceremony as observers. Later theyear, the VSS became a member of ASSA.

ASSA members now comprise 19 social security institutionsfrom ten ASEAN nations.

This is the fifth time the VSS has chaired theASSA Board Meeting. It undertook the chairmanship during the 2002 – 2003 termand successfully organised the ASSA Board Meeting in 1999, 2002, 2005 and2010.-VNA