The National Health Insurance Bureau (中央健保局) has proposed to the supervising committee of the national health insurance plan that those infected with AIDS be excluded from insurance coverage. It recommended that those suffering from the disease pay for themselves or the government should allocate public health budgets to cover the cost.
The number of people infected with AIDS had increased to 2,629 at the end of 1999, according to statistics released by the Department of Health(衛生署) -- a growth of nearly 50 percent on the previous year. The bureau said AIDS patients represent a financial burden of around NT$280 million a year.
AIDS patients have been covered by the national health insurance plan since 1998, at which time the total number was 1,908, representing 0.18 percent of the bureau's total medication expenditure.
As the number of patients with AIDS grows, the bureau says it is concerned it will not be able to meet financial demands.
The bureau's rationale is that because the National Health Insurance Law stipulates that epidemics should not be covered, AIDS patients should pay their own treatment costs.
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