People can opt out of sharing their National Health Insurance data (NHI) with government agencies and academic institutions, the National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) said yesterday.
The change follows an Aug. 12, 2022, Constitutional Court judgement requiring that laws be updated within three years to provide further oversight of NHI data and allow people to opt out of the use of their NHI data for academic or research purposes.
The Executive Yuan approved a draft act to manage NHI data in May, which included regulations allowing people to opt out of data sharing.
Photo: Lin Hui-chin, Taipei Times
However, as the legislature failed to complete its review of the draft before the deadline, the NHIA released guidelines explaining how people can stop their data from being used for research purposes.
The guidelines would ensure people’s rights are protected while the act is reviewed, the agency said.
Starting immediately, people can apply at any regional NHIA office or through the NHI app to opt out of having their data used for academic research, NHIA official Yu Hui-chen (游慧真) said.
The agency would complete the approval process within 30 days of receiving the application, Yu said.
Government agencies, administrative corporations, medical institutions, academic research institutions, universities and other institutions commissioned by the government can apply to use NHI data, she said.
Institutions have used the data for academic and medical research, as well as public health and policy evaluations, she said.
The data have been used in more than 9,000 articles published in domestic and international journals, and have helped many graduate students obtain degrees, she added.
To protect data security and personal privacy, NHI data would only be provided to support academic research and public welfare, Yu said.
Access must be approved by institutional review boards and relevant authorities, and can only be accessed in specified locations, she said.
Personal information is de-identified, while data about rare cases are not available and only statistical results may be accessed, she added.
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