People who are either made sick or are injured in the line of work will no longer have to pay for their more frequent use of the health care system as a result, the Bureau of National Health Insurance announced yesterday.
As of Jan. 1, 2000, those who claim occupational reasons for their illnesses or injuries will not have their doctors' visits counted toward their use of the health insurance services, said Tsai Wen-chin (
Those who use their health insurance cards to visit the doctor more than 24 times per year currently have to pay NT$50 or NT$100 per additional visit.
If the patient presents a form showing that the injury or illness was incurred on the job, the clinic or hospital visited will not stamp his or her health insurance card, Tsai said. Forms can be obtained from the Bureau of Labor Insurance and must be signed by the patient's employer, Tsai said.
The Bureau of National Health Insurance introduced a co-payment system on Aug. 1 in an attempt to get high-volume users of health insurance services to pay for their increased use.
Prescriptions for chronic conditions, use of dental and emergency services and prescription medications under NT$100 have been excluded from co-payments. Repeat doctors' visits for job-related injuries or illnesses were not.
Outpatients claiming occupational illnesses or injuries accounted for over 30,000 cases and a cost to the health insurance system of NT$2 billion from July 1997 to June 1998, Tsai said. For the same time period, there were 24,000 inpatient cases at a cost of NT$1 billion, he said.
NATIONAL SECURITY THREAT: An official said that Guan Guan’s comments had gone beyond the threshold of free speech, as she advocated for the destruction of the ROC China-born media influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China content that threatens national security, the National Immigration Agency said yesterday. Guan Guan has said many controversial things in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” while expressing hope for expedited “reunification.” The agency received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification last year. After investigating, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and account for her actions. Guan Guan appeared as required,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
A strong cold air mass is expected to arrive tonight, bringing a change in weather and a drop in temperature, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. The coldest time would be early on Thursday morning, with temperatures in some areas dipping as low as 8°C, it said. Daytime highs yesterday were 22°C to 24°C in northern and eastern Taiwan, and about 25°C to 28°C in the central and southern regions, it said. However, nighttime lows would dip to about 15°C to 16°C in central and northern Taiwan as well as the northeast, and 17°C to 19°C elsewhere, it said. Tropical Storm Nokaen, currently
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