Taipei wins latest round in fight over health insurance

Reversing 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 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.