Department of Health (DOH) Minister Yaung Chih-liang (楊志良) yesterday said Chang Gung Memorial Hospital had agreed to pay fines for overcharging its doctors for health insurance premiums, but would appeal the case.
The Bureau of National Health Insurance last month issued seven fines to seven branches of Chang Gung hospital for overcharging its doctors for their National Health Insurance premiums a total of NT$414 million (US$12.5 million).
The hospital had been given until today to pay the fines.
Yang was informed by the hospital yesterday that it would pay the NT$414 million, but would appeal the case and hold a press conference today to explain the reason for its appeal.
Chang Gung had charged each doctor the full insurance premium of about NT$6,000 each month, rather than the 30 percent of the amount, or about NT$1,800, that a doctor would normally pay as a hospital employee.
The hospital argued that the practice was justifiable as the doctors were in partnership with the hospital owners and therefore should be responsible for the full premium amount.
Earlier yesterday, Yaung had said the hospital had promised the department it would pay the fines in full rather than in installments.
In other developments, the department yesterday announced that 3 million doses of government-funded flu vaccine shots would be made available to children and the elderly, starting in October.
A 24-year-old man in Tainan last month died of influenza A(H1N1), or swine flu. The victim had not been vaccinated against the virus, which was not expected to re-emerge until the fall or winter.
His father, 56, died on Sunday, also from A(H1N1). He was the nation’s 47th person to die of the virus since it emerged in Taiwan last summer.
• It was the most common cause of human influenza last year.
• It was declared a pandemic by the WHO in June last year.
• It had caused 17,000 deaths worldwide by the start of this year.
To provide better protection against such viruses with only one shot, the department said that each shot would provide immunity against the A(H1N1) strain and the seasonal flu.
Children and the elderly will receive priority for shots and will have to pay only for registration and appointment fees, while the cost of inoculation will be covered by the government.
Registration and appointment fees were waived last year to encourage the public to receive flu shots.
Yaung urged everyone, especially young adults, to get vaccinated against the flu virus before the flu season begins. Yaung said more than 7 million doses of vaccine the department purchased last year remained available.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY CNA
Also See: WHO chief says H1N1 flu pandemic is over
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