Health fund covers traffic accidents

Medical expenses for victims of traffic accidents will be paid for by the health insurance fund, said director of the Health Ministry's Health Insurance Department, Tong Thi Song Huong.

The move comes as part of a draft circular on health insurance jointly drafted by the ministries of Health and Finance.

The two ministries agreed that people with health insurance should be entitled to claim on their insurance for any medical expenses incurred due to a traffic accident, without having to wait for the results of any police investigations.

At present, insurance companies are only obliged to pay out following confirmation from the police that the claimant had not violated any traffic laws.

"The draft circular will have clearer regulations," Huong said.

Regardless of whether traffic accident victims violated traffic laws, their hospital fees will be paid for by their health insurance fund. Within 24 hours of a person being hospitalised from a traffic accident, it will be the responsibility of the insurance office to contact police and ask them to investigate the cause of the accident.

Inconclusive investigations will mean victims will still be eligible for insurance payments. However, if victims are found to be at fault for the accident, they will have to return the hospital fees to their health insurance fund, Huong said.

Also included in the draft, insurance companies will pay medical expenses for children aged under 16 and the elderly over 80, regardless of whether they violated traffic laws or not.

The draft is expected to be completed next month./.

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