Starting next month, the Taipei Elderly Card will be accepted at the city’s 12 district sports centers, as part of an incentive to encourage older people to exercise, the Taipei City Government said on Monday.
The card has a NT$480 monthly quota for people aged 65 or older to use on public transportation and entrance fees for certain municipal exhibitions.
At a news conference to promote the city’s senior citizen welfare policy, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) said that when he was a doctor, he observed that many older people spend a lot of time watching TV, so he encouraged them to go outdoors more often.
Many people have complained that people older than 80 hardly use the Elderly Card, but statistics show that a large proportion of cardholders closer to 65 years old often use most of their quota every month, Ko said, adding that he hopes they could maintain their active lifestyles.
Starting from next month, cardholders may use the quota to pay up to NT$50 per visit to the city’s sports centers to use facilities such as a swimming pool for NT$50, two hours at the gym for NT$25 or a group class for NT$50, the Taipei Department of Social Welfare said.
In addition, starting in January next year, people aged 65 or older with an individual income tax rate of less than 20 percent would receive a subsidy for their National Health Insurance (NHI) monthly premium, the city government said.
The premium subsidy is currently provided to people aged 70 or older, but the eligibility would be expanded to people aged 65 or older, as providing coverage for all older people should be a priority, Ko said.
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