Patterns of Health Expenditures and Financial Protections in Vietnam 1992-2012

• Published in: Journal of Korean medical science Vol. 30 Suppl 2; no. Suppl 2; pp. S134 - S138
• Main Authors: Hoang, Van Minh, Oh, Juhwan, Tran, Tuan Anh, Tran, Thi Giang Huong, Ha, Anh Duc, Luu, Ngoc Hoat, Nguyen, Thi Kim Phuong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korea (South) The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences 01.11.2015
• Subjects: Developing Countries - economics; Financing, Government - economics; Financing, Government - trends; Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data; Health Expenditures - trends; Healthcare Financing; Insurance, Health - economics; Insurance, Health - trends; Special; Vietnam - epidemiology; Vietnam; Out-of-pocket Household Payment; Health Expenditure; Vietnam; Health Financing
• ISSN: 1011-8934; 1598-6357
• DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2015.30.S2.S134

Health financing has been considered as an important building block of a health system and has a key role in promoting universal health coverage in the Vietnam. This paper aims to describe the pattern of health expenditure, including total health expenditure and composition of health expenditure, over the last two decades in Vietnam. The paper mainly uses the data from Vietnam National Health Account and Vietnam Living Standards Survey. We also included data from other relevant published literature, reports and statistics about health care expenditure in Vietnam. The per capita health expenditure in Vietnam increased from US$ 14 in 1995 to US$ 86 in 2012. The total health expenditure as a share of GDP also rose from 5.2% in 1995 to 6.9% in 2012. Public health expenditure as percentage of government expenditure rose from 7.4% in 1995 to nearly 10% in 2012. The coverage of health insurance went up from 10% in 1995 to 68.5% in 2012. However, health financing in Vietnam was depending on private expenditures (57.4% in 2012). As a result, the proportion of households with catastrophic expenditure in 2012 was 4.2%. The rate of impoverishment in 2012 was 2.5%. To ensure equity and efficient goal of health system, policy actions for containing the health care out-of-pocket payments and their poverty impacts are urgently needed in Vietnam.