DPP lawmakers are sick over a proposal by the Bureau of National Health Insurance to hike premiums and say more should be done to root out inefficiency in the nation's healthcare system.
The bureau has proposed to the Department of Health raising rates for full-time workers from 4.25 percent of their monthly salary to 4.91 percent by July.
The department is evaluating the proposal before sending it to the legislature. If approved, workers would have to pay between NT$20 and NT$67 more in health premiums a month.
"Although the increase doesn't seem much for an individual, it could be a lot for a low-income family," DPP lawmaker Lin Chin-hsing (林進興) said. "Besides, it's not a good idea to make such changes when the economy is bad."
Lin made the remarks yesterday at a press conference also attended by DPP lawmakers You Ching (尤清), Chen Sheng-hung (陳勝宏) and Chen Chung-shin (陳忠信).
But while the legislators are opposed to any hike in fees, the health insurance bureau says an increase is justified.
According to Louis Liu (
Bureau officials and DPP legislative caucus members plan to discuss the issue on Monday.
Under the current rate of 4.25 percent, a worker earning NT$10,000 a month pays NT$425 in health insurance premiums. Of that amount, the worker pays 30 percent -- or in this example, NT$127.50 -- out of his or her own pocket.
The worker's company pays 60 percent, or NT$255, while the government is responsible for the remaining 10 percent, or NT$42.50.
If the rate jumps to 4.91 percent, a worker who earns NT$10,000 a month would have to pay an additional NT$20. Workers who belong to unions would have to pay as much as NT$67 in additional fees, as the union rather than the employer is responsible for insurance premiums.
Lin said he wasn't opposed to hiking rates, but said emphasis should be placed on reducing waste in the healthcare system first.
The DPP lawmaker said many factors contribute to inefficiency in the healthcare system, the primary ones being unnecessary medical examinations and prescriptions and billing fraud.
"It's a common practice for hospitals and clinics -- including state-run facilities -- to report medical expenses that are greater than the actual amount spent and the bureau just watches and does nothing," Lin said.
In addition, he said, doctors often advise patients to undergo unnecessary and expensive examinations in order to increase billings.
RESOLUTE BACKING: Two Republican senators are planning to introduce legislation that would impose immediate sanctions on China if it attempts to invade Taiwan US House of Representatives Speaker Mike Johnson on Sunday reaffirmed US congressional support for Taiwan, saying the US and “all freedom-loving people” have a stake in preventing China from seizing Taiwan by force. Johnson made the remarks in an interview with Fox News Sunday on US President Donald Trump’s summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) last week. In an interview that aired on Friday on Fox News, just as Trump wrapped up a high-stakes visit to China, he said he has yet to green-light a new US$14 billion arms package to Taiwan and that it “depends on China.” “It’s a very good
DRONE CENTRAL: Taiwan aims to become Asia’s democratic hub for drones, with most exports focused on high-quality military-grade models, an official said Taiwan’s drone industry is expected to expand significantly by 2030, producing 100,000 units per month and exporting half of them, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Current drone production capacity is about 15,000 units per month, but the industry can quickly scale up as demand increases, Industrial Development Administration Director-General Chiou Chyou-huey (邱求慧) told a news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s drone output grew 2.5-fold last year to NT$12.9 billion (US$408.3 million) under a government program to develop the uncrewed vehicle sector, he said. The Executive Yuan in October last year approved plans to invest NT$44.2 billion into domestic production of uncrewed aerial
WARNING: China should stop engaging in actions that undermine regional peace and stability, as it would only build resentment among people across the Strait, the CGA said China has deployed more than 100 navy, coast guard and other vessels in waters from the Yellow Sea to the South China Sea and the western Pacific since US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) met in Beijing, National Security Council Secretary-General Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday. “In this part of the world, #China is the one & only PROBLEM wrecking the #StatusQuo & threatening regional peace & stability,” Wu wrote on X. In a separate post, he said Beijing was coercing Taiwan’s maritime domain, calling it illegal and provocative, after the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) expelled a
VERBOSE VESSELS: A CGA cutter and a China Coast Guard exchanged verbal barbs for more than a day in Taiwanese-controlled waters before the Chinese vessel left The Taiwanese and Chinese coast guards had a standoff near the strategically located Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島) in the north of the South China Sea, the Coast Guard Administration (CGA) said yesterday. The two sides engaged in intense radio exchanges over sovereignty claims during the 33-hour standoff. China Coast Guard vessel 3501 eventually left the restricted waters, 26.6 nautical miles (49.2km) west of the Pratas Islands, at 5pm yesterday, the CGA said. Lying approximately between southern Taiwan and Hong Kong, the Taiwan-controlled Pratas are seen by some security experts as vulnerable to Chinese attack due to their distance — more than
RSS