A group of lawmakers from the ruling DPP took a legislative resolution blocking national health insurance fee hikes to the Judicial Yuan yesterday and sought a constitutional interpretation from the Council of Grand Justices.
Chiang Chau-yi (江昭儀), Hou Shui-sheng and Hsieh Ming-yuan (謝明源) met Judicial Yuan Secretary-General Yang Jen-shou (楊仁壽) to convey their stance and submitted a petition endorsed by 87 lawmakers of the DPP and its political ally, the TSU.
Chiang said the legislature's resolution made Jan. 10 opposing the hikes imposed by the Department of Health on insurance premiums and self-payment fees under the National Health Insurance Program is against terms stipulated in the Budget Law (預算法), National Health Insurance Law (健保法) and other pieces of legislation. "Therefore, the resolution is non-binding," he argued.
PHOTO: SEAN CHAO, TAIPEI TIMES
Hou said a constitutional interpretation on the issue by the Council of Grand Justices is necessary because strong opposition from the opposition KMT and PFP to approval of the hikes has caused trouble for the administration.
Meanwhile, Legislative Yuan President Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) claimed that the resolution is indeed fully binding because it was worked out under the legal foundation provided by the 52nd article of the Budget Law.
Wang made the remarks in response to a statement issued a day earlier by Vice Premier Lin Hsin-i (林信義), who accused the legislature of overlooking the country's constitutional system.
The government should improve children’s outdoor spaces and accelerate carbon reduction programs, as the risk of heat-related injury due to high summer temperatures rises each year, Greenpeace told a news conference yesterday. Greenpeace examined summer temperatures in Taipei, New Taipei City, Taoyuan, Hsinchu City, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung to determine the effects of high temperatures and climate change on children’s outdoor activities, citing data garnered by China Medical University, which defines a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) of 29°C or higher as posing the risk of heat-related injury. According to the Central Weather Administration, WBGT, commonly referred to as the heat index, estimates
Taipei and other northern cities are to host air-raid drills from 1:30pm to 2pm tomorrow as part of urban resilience drills held alongside the Han Kuang exercises, Taiwan’s largest annual military exercises. Taipei, New Taipei City, Keelung, Taoyuan, Yilan County, Hsinchu City and Hsinchu County are to hold the annual Wanan air defense exercise tomorrow, following similar drills held in central and southern Taiwan yesterday and today respectively. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and Maokong Gondola are to run as usual, although stations and passenger parking lots would have an “entry only, no exit” policy once air raid sirens sound, Taipei
Taipei placed 14th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Best Student Cities 2026 list, its highest ever, according to results released yesterday. With an overall score of 89.1, the city climbed 12 places from the previous year, surpassing its previous best ranking of 17th in 2019. Taipei is “one of Asia’s leading higher-education hubs,” with strong employer activity scores and students “enjoying their experience of the city and often keen to stay after graduation,” a QS staff writer said. In addition to Taipei, Hsinchu (71st), Tainan (92nd), Taichung (113th) and Taoyuan (130th) also made QS’ list of the top 150 student cities. Hsinchu showed the
Environmental groups yesterday filed an appeal with the Executive Yuan, seeking to revoke the environmental impact assessment (EIA) conditionally approved in February for the Hsieh-ho Power Plant’s planned fourth liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving station off the coast of Keelung. The appeal was filed jointly by the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group, the Wild at Heart Legal Defense Association and the Keelung City Taiwan Head Cultural Association, which together held a news conference outside the Executive Yuan in Taipei. Explaining the reasons for the appeal, Wang Hsing-chih (王醒之) of the Protect Waimushan Seashore Action Group said that the EIA failed to address
RSS