Taipei wins latest round in fight over health insurance

Reversing a High Court decision, the Administrative Court yesterday ruled that the Taipei City government does not have to pay fees to the Bureau of National Health Insurance amounting to NT$10.8 billion (US$324.9 million).

Department of Health Minister Hou Sheng-mou (侯勝茂) said that although the decision came as a surprise, he would respect the court's decision.

However, Hou said the department does not rule out the possibility of filing an appeal or asking for a constitutional interpretation. Whatever the final result, the health department will not raise health-insurance fees to recover the money, Hou said.

The controversy surrounding the health-insurance fees stems from different methods used to calculate the health-insurance fees payable by the city. The city government refused to pay certain health-insurance fees to the health department from 1999 to 2002, which eventually added up to NT$10.8 billion.