The Taiwan Healthcare Reform Foundation yesterday called on government officials to resolve transparency issues regarding the second-generation health plan.
After the Executive Yuan yesterday approved amendments to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法), the foundation called on Premier Wu Den-yih (吳敦義) to take a closer look at the numerous issues surrounding national health insurance that must be resolved before the public can have confidence in the government’s ability to handle the public fund.
The recent premium increase to a rate of 5.17 percent came into effect on Apr. 1. The government says that the amendments proposed by the Executive Yuan could address the fund’s deficit and was more “fair” because the premium payments would be calculated according to income per household rather than per capita.
“No matter how many reforms are made to the income aspect [of the health insurance fund], if the policies governing expenses remain secretive and the public cannot see any improvement in the quality of medical care, amending [the Act] will be a waste of time and we could expect other premium hikes in the future,” foundation executive director Liu Mei-chun (劉梅君) told a press conference yesterday.
Liu said the public has been kept in the dark on a number of important matters surrounding national health insurance, such as the creation and composition of the National Health Insurance Fund supervisory committee.
Because the agenda and minutes of supervisory committee meetings are not publicized, the public has no means of knowing how the committee reaches its decisions on matters such as drug coverage, medical care or methods for receiving compensation, she said.
The watchdog also called on government officials to improve the quality of medical care by publicizing evaluations of medical institutions and publicizing audited financial reports on hospitals.
This could also prevent dishonest doctors and institutions from making illegal profits by overcharging for drugs and medical care or proposing certain treatments based on the amount of compensation paid out by the health insurance system, Liu said.
“If the second-generation health plan is to be sustainable in the long term, it must gain the trust of the public and provide medical care people can rely on,” she said.
The Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association has cautioned Japanese travelers to be vigilant against pickpockets at several popular tourist spots in Taiwan, including Taipei’s night markets, the Yongkang Street area, Zhongshan MRT Station, and Jiufen (九份) in New Taipei City. The advisory, titled “Recent Development of Concerns,” was posted on the association’s Web site under its safety and emergency report section. It urges travelers to keep backpacks fully zipped and carried in front, with valuables placed at the bottom of the bag. Visitors are advised to be especially mindful of their belongings when taking photos or speaking on the phone, avoid storing wallets and
ENDORSING TAIWAN: Honduran presidential candidate Nasry Afura said that Honduras was ‘100 times better off’ when it was allied with Taipei The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said it would explore the possibility of restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras based on the principle of maintaining national interests and dignity. The ministry made the remarks in response to reporters’ questions regarding an article titled: “Will Taiwan Regain a Diplomatic Ally?” published in The Diplomat on Saturday. The article said Honduras’ presidential election in November could offer Taiwan the chance to regain an ally, as multiple candidates have promoted re-establishing diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in March 2023 in favor of Beijing, but since switching its diplomatic recognition,
A fourth public debate was held today about restarting the recently decommissioned Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant, ahead of a referendum on the controversial issue to be held in less than two weeks. A referendum on Aug. 23 is to ask voters if they agree that “the Ma-anshan Nuclear Power Plant should continue operations upon approval by the competent authority and confirmation that there are no safety concerns.” Anyone over 18 years of age can vote in the referendum. The vote comes just three months after its final reactor shut down, officially making Taiwan nuclear-free. Taiwan People’s Party Chairman Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌) represented
Scoot announced yesterday that starting in October, it would increase flights between Taipei and Japan’s Narita airport and Hokkaido, and between Singapore and Taipei. The low-cost airline, a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines, also said it would launch flights to Chiang Rai in Thailand, Okinawa and Tokyo’s Haneda airport between December and March next year. Flights between Singapore and Chiang Rai would begin on Jan. 1, with five flights per week operated by an Embraer E190-E2 aircraft, Scoot said. Flights between Singapore and Okinawa would begin on Dec. 15, with three flights per week operated by Airbus A320 aircraft, the airline said. Services between Singapore
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