A bill to amend the nation’s National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) would prevent Taiwanese expatriates or students living or studying overseas from benefiting from the country’s health insurance privileges, a Department of Health (DOH) official said yesterday.
The draft amendment rules that citizens whose household registration in Taiwan has become invalid because of their long-term absence must stay in the country for at least four consecutive months to reclaim their right to join the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, said Chu Tung-kuang (曲同光), the deputy convener of the DOH’s NHI planning task force.
Under existing regulations, Taiwanese citizens who live outside Taiwan for less than six months a year can continue to be insured under the healthcare system as long as they pay their insurance premiums.
Those who live outside the country for more than six months can have their insurance suspended to avoid paying premiums, but they are allowed to rejoin the NHI system as long as they pay the premium upon their return, even if it’s for a short stay, the Act states.
Chu said many overseas Taiwanese and students studying abroad rejoin the national insurance plan during temporary stays in Taiwan to seek low-cost medical treatment. This practice has led to public criticism, with some saying returning Taiwanese are unfairly depleting the country’s health insurance resources, Chu said.
Because of this, the DOH has decided to set a barrier to prevent the abuse of national health insurance resources, Chu said.
Bureau of National Health Insurance statistics show that medical treatment for Taiwanese expatriates costs the country more than NT$100 million (US$3 million) a year, while the total they pay in premiums amounts to between NT$60 million and NT$70 million a year.
The amendment bill has been delivered to the Legislative Yuan for approval, Chu said.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
RSS