Chang promises no hike to health insurance fees

Premier Chang Chun-hsiung (張俊雄) reassured the public yesterday that the Cabinet will not raise health insurance fees if it can hammer out alternative measures to solve the problems with the health insurance system.

"We've set up a task force to study every possible solution. The first priority, however, is to get back the money owed by local governments," Chang said.

Speculation has mounted that health insurance fees will be increased by more than 4 percent for the next five years because the central government has had a hard time getting back outstanding fees owed by local governments.

The Cabinet plans to ask the courts to order immediate payment of overdue health insurance subsidies from local governments.

Apparently afraid of being forced to do so, the Taipei City Government yesterday approved at its city affairs meeting a motion to file for a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices on whether local governments are legally required to shoulder the burden for health insurance payments.

City spokesperson Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) told a press conference at City Hall yesterday that Taipei is requesting the Executive Yuan file for a constitutional interpretation on the matter on the city's behalf.

It does not rule out the possibility of filing for the request itself should the Cabinet refuse, the city official said.

"We doubt that it's constitutional to ask local governments to shoulder health insurance subsidies and it violates the autonomous rights of local governments," Wu said.

As of December, 21 cities and counties nationwide owed the Bureau of National Health Insurance some NT$25 billion in health insurance subsidies.

Kaohsiung City and Taipei City ranked as the top two governments with the largest amounts owed, NT$8.3 billion and NT$6.9 billion, respectively.