All international students, including those from China, Hong Kong and Macau, would have equal access to the National Health Insurance (NHI) system from the next academic year, with premiums yet to be decided, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said on Wednesday.
Current regulations require international students with valid residence certificates to stay in Taiwan for at least six months before they may join the NHI plan through the schools in which they enroll, but Chinese students are excluded from the system.
Foreign students who have registered households in Taiwan, but do not have insurance can join the NHI through their schools.
Photo: Taipei Times
Each international student pays a premium of NT$826 per month.
International students who have a residence certificate will not need to wait for six months to join the NHI, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said on Wednesday in an interview, adding that Chinese students would also be able to join.
The ministry has been gauging the financial impact if all international students are covered by the NHI, as proposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mainland Affairs Council, Hsueh said.
“We are considering expanding NHI coverage to international students, as the impact is estimated to be small,” Hsueh said.
According to the ministry’s preliminary plan, the insurance would not apply to non-degree-seeking international students, he said.
By expanding coverage to include Chinese students, premiums for all international students would have to be adjusted, Hsueh said.
“Our rough estimate is that we are still able to balance the NHI budget by including Chinese students in the insured pool. There is no need to amend the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) to expand coverage to include Chinese students,” Hsueh said. “We are aiming to implement the new policy in September next year, as the next school year starts.”
Vice President Wiliam Lai (賴清德) on Wednesday said the Paraguayan government had conveyed the problem to him.
“The Executive Yuan should consider including Chinese students as it debates expanding the NHI to include international students,” Lai said.
The government hopes that healthcare could become available to international students equally without having a negative impact on the system’s stability, Cabinet spokesman Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) told a news conference yesterday after the weekly Cabinet meeting.
Mainland Affairs Council Culture and Education Department chief Chang Chang (張張) said that the council has been communicating relevant issues with the public for years.
“Judging from what we saw during the COVID-19 pandemic, it is necessary to include Chinese students in the NHI system,” she said.
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