The legislature yesterday passed an amendment of the National Health Insurance Law (
According to the amendment, those who suffered financial difficulties and did not join the national health insurance program should join it within a year.
For those who suspended their national health insurance because of their financial difficulties, the amendment permitted them to postpone deadlines to pay the premiums.
The amendment also freed those people from paying any interest on their unpaid premiums and fines imposed because they delayed paying their premiums.
Those who are classified as "people suffering particular financial difficulties" and have not joined the national health insurance program for more than four years are completely freed from their unpaid premiums, the amendment said.
Related governmental agencies are yet to define the conditions of "people suffering particular financial difficulties."
Owing to the sluggish economy and high unemployment rate, many people have been unable to pay their health premiums, said DPP Legislator Lai Ching-te (
"About 970,000 people did not participate in the national health insurance program. Around 230,000 people did not join the insurance program because of financial difficulties," Lai said.
Meanwhile, the amendment proposed a measure to push local governments to speed up paying their heath premiums. Some local governments owed more than NT$10 billion on health premiums.
The amendment ruled that local governments should pay their unpaid premiums within 15 days after they are required to do so.
If local governments fail to pay their health premiums before the deadline, daily interest will be imposed on the government.
The amendment said governmental agencies involved in premium-collection can force local governments to pay their premiums if local governments did not do so before the deadline.
The amendment also drew acclaim from opposition lawmakers. KMT Legislator Yang Li-huan (
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