A proposed second-generation National Health Insurance (NHI) program became the main topic of discussion yesterday during a ceremony to mark the changeover of the head of the Bureau of National Health Insurance (BNHI).
Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) said during the ceremony that he regretted that the second-generation program had yet to be approved by the legislature, adding that more needs to be done to push the program’s legislation.
For her part, new BNHI Director-General Day Guey-ing (戴桂英) said the program would be the biggest challenge facing her in her new job. Day said she would listen and watch to get a feel for what the public needs after assuming the post.
Yuang thanked Day for taking the job, saying that Day, the first female head since the reorganization of the bureau, had originally planned to retire.
Day has previously served as a BNHI Taipei branch manager, director of the DOH’s planning division, and a DOH section manager.
Yaung reportedly appointed Day to the post because, as a major contributor to the initial draft of the plans for a second-generation NHI program, she is familiar with the issues.
Yaung also said he hoped the bureau could successfully address the range of challenges and problems it faces, saying, for example, that it should collaborate with the DOH to create an environment for fair competition among physicians and hospitals.
Outgoing BNHI head Cheng Shou-hsia (鄭守夏) will return to his teaching position at National Taiwan University’s College of Public Health.
The second-generation NHI would calculate premiums based on total household incomes rather than just an individual’s salary.
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