Time is running out
Sovereignty is the most supreme authority exercised by an independent country. There can be no ambiguity. However, ever since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) took power and started his unilateral “ceasefire, no diplomacy,” the sovereignty of the Republic of China (ROC) has been compromised and Taiwan has been reduced to an affiliate state of China.
Slowly but surely, Ma has attempted to lock in Taiwan’s fate to China through the deception of economic prosperity and the proposed economic cooperation framework agreement (ECFA), even if this means the termination of the ROC’s sovereignty and the end of Taiwan’s freedom and democracy. Ma, with his “great China complex,” appears unconcerned.
Based on the co-called “1992 consensus,” Ma has advocated a unilateral “no denial of coexistence” policy for cross-strait issues. He proclaims “no unification, no independence and no war.” But these have all been proven false, like so many of his other sugarcoated lies.
The truth is there is a big conspiracy behind the gentle face of soft-spoken Ma. He is selling out Taiwan and, for that matter, the ROC, and fast.
The reality is that China continues to obstruct Taiwan internationally and threaten Taiwan with its 1,500 missiles, while speeding up its peaceful take over of Taiwan.
If Taiwanese continue to remain silent, the day that Taiwan succumbs to China’s rule will arrive faster than anyone can imagine.
YANG JI-CHARNG
Columbus, Ohi
Keeping NHI accessible
Media reports say the Health Insurance Bureau and the Department of Health are proposing an amendment to the health insurance laws to require every returned overseas Taiwanese who has been abroad for more than six months be resident in Taiwan for four months before he or she becomes eligible to re-enroll in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program. The proposed amendment arose from a small portion of overseas Taiwanese who are have allegedly played medical tourists, returning to Taiwan for medical treatments under the NHI plan.
The amendments’ proponents urged “restoring equality” in the NHI. However, the proposal could deny equal protection of access to care for the majority of non-opportunistic overseas Taiwanese who visit Taiwan on a short term basis. In addition, if the amendment passes, the actual financial contribution to the NHI deficit would be minimal, as it could only reduce 0.01 percent of the expenditure.
First, at issue are the principles of proportionality and equality. The arbitrary, four-month residency requirement for a returning overseas Taiwanese is against the “principle of proportionality” of rule making.
Government statistics show that last year, among roughly 1.7 million overseas Taiwanese, only about 1 percent of those who returned to Taiwan chose to re-enroll in the NHI program, and about 0.7 percent used medical services covered by NHI. These Taiwanese incurred NT$50 million (US$1.54 million) to NT$60 million in reimbursable medical expenditures, which equated to 0.01 percent of the total NHI expenditure of NT$500 billion last year.
Should the residence requirement take effect next year, it could only save 0.01 percent of NHI medical expenditures. This drop in the ocean could, however, potentially affect the “equal protection” interest of overseas Taiwanese vested in the Constitution for not being able to participate in the NHI or have equal access to care.
Second, the law, along with the proposed amendment, does not provide a legal recourse for overseas Taiwanese to contribute to the NHI and use the services entitled by their citizenship.
For example, the proposed amendment will automatically drop a person’s NHI enrollment if he or she travels overseas for more than six months, and the government will remove residency rights for anyone who is abroad for more than two years. Now, instead of a presumption of innocence for those 99 percent of overseas Taiwanese who never use NHI services, the proposed amendment will require a four-month residency before reactivating NHI enrollment. This may not work for students returning to Taiwan during summer and winter vacations or for people with chronic conditions who would need regular access to care. It will also likely alienate 1.7 million overseas Taiwanese.
A potential win-win recourse for affording equal protection to all Taiwanese regardless of residency would be to establish an income-based, sliding-scale premium plan for returning Taiwanese as is currently practiced in the NHI program (perhaps include a one-time activation fee), so that overseas Taiwanese who make a short trip home could have a mechanism to meaningfully contribute to the NHI program while having immediate access to medical services when needs arise.
This would provide the NHI with more revenue, thereby helping reduce its deficit, while ensuring equal protection of health access. Taiwanese returning home could wholeheartedly embrace being home, while no longer running the risk of being labeled “medical tourists.”
ED HSU
Houston, Texas
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