The Executive Yuan plans to submit a draft bill to the legislature by the end of this year to pave the way for implementation of a long-term health care insurance system by 2011, a Department of Health report said.
The report, compiled by relevant ministries and agencies and signed by Minister of Health Yeh Ching-chuan (葉金川), stated that the system would be implemented by the Bureau of National Health Insurance.
Yeh said in the report that the preliminary plan was to either provide coverage to every citizen or to people over the age of 40, but that further discussion would be required before a final decision could be made.
The benefits to insured citizens would mainly be the provision and insured coverage of services such as home, community and institutionalized care, he said. In addition, cash payouts would be made to insured persons with some type of disability based on their degree of disability, he said.
However, to qualify for coverage, people would be required to pay their premiums in advance, he said, adding that the insured would also share a part of the care services costs.
The long-term health care insurance plan is part of the government’s national social welfare program, and is intended to address the needs of an increasing number of elderly citizens who are unable to care for themselves, and of people suffering from chronic diseases.
An assessment by the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) showed the percentage of the population at 65 years of age and over would rise from 9.95 percent (around 2.27 million people) in 2006 to 20 percent (some 4.76 million) in 2026.
Meanwhile, the Council of Labor Affairs (CLA) reported that as of this year, Taiwan had a workforce of 44,346 people trained as caregivers. Some 4,111 are employed at government institutions and with civil groups that offer home care services, and 9,926 at homes for the elderly, it said.
To ensure there will be an adequate number of caregivers to work in the proposed long-term care system, the council has budgeted NT$173 million (US$5.1 million) to train another 32,000 caregivers from last year to 2011, the CLA report said.
The legislature’s Social Welfare and Environmental Hygiene Committee is expected to ask officials including CEPD Chairman Chen Tain-jy (陳添枝), CLA Chairwoman Jennifer Wang (王如玄) and Yeh to hold briefings on the issue and to answer lawmakers’ questions at the Legislative Yuan soon.
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