Lawmakers and civic groups yesterday voiced their opposition to a government plan to allow insurance companies to run nursing homes, saying that it may commercialize the long-term care sector.
“Care of elderly people is not a commodity and should not be commercialized,” Taiwan Solidarity Union Legislator (TSU) Lin Shih-chia (林世嘉) told a press conference at the legislature in Taipei yesterday.
In a meeting of the Executive Yuan’s Promotion of Private Participation in Public Infrastructure Projects Commission last week, the proposed relaxing of regulations in the Senior Citizens Welfare Act (老人福利法) to allow for-profit enterprises to run long-term care (LTC) facilities received the support of the Executive Yuan.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
In addition to leading to unequal distribution of resources, privatizing services may result in exploitation of nursing staff since it is natural for private businesses to maximize profits, she said.
Lin was reacting to a proposal by the Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) to allow insurance firms access to the LTC industry.
“Although the Ministry of Finance and the Department of Health both support the proposal, I am concerned that if insurance firms are allowed to operate in this sector, they would unfairly compete with government and non-governmental organizations,” TSU Legislator Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said.
Hsu said that if insurance firms are granted access to the sector, new kinds of LTC insurance products would be on offer that are not “cashed in,” but are paid in the form of home or community-services benefits.
“However, the current Insurance Act (保險法) clearly states that the insured amount must be specified in an insurance contract,” Hsu said. “Allowing non-cash benefits without proper supporting measures and government supervision would affect the rights of the insured.”
Awakening Foundation policy director Tan Yu-jung (覃玉蓉) highlighted the dangers of allowing large private companies — as well as foreign firms — into the market.
“If we don’t have a healthy government-backed long-term care system in place, who is going to take over if large corporations decide to withdraw?” Tan asked.
“The government also plans to bring in foreign capital for care of the elderly, which includes Chinese capital — are we going to look to China for such care?” she asked.
Foundation for the Welfare of the Elderly secretary-general Wu Yu-chin (吳玉琴) also voiced concern over the proposals.
“The FSC cited Japan as an example of allowing private companies into the care sector. However, before implementing such a move, the Japanese government built a strong government-backed public insurance system,” Wu said.
“Also, the role of businesses in the Japanese care industry is limited to at-home care,” Wu added.
Wu said the groups have vowed to block any revisions to the Senior Citizens Welfare Act, which requires LTC service providers to be non-profit organizations.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS