Two Department of Health (DOH) committees yesterday proposed a postponement of the second-generation National Health Insurance (NHI) program to allow for better preparation.
The proposal was made during the first joint meeting of the NHI Supervisory Committee and the NHI Medical Expenditure Negotiation Committee.
According to Eva Teng (滕西華) of the NHI Supervisory Committee, most committee members think it would be too rushed to implement the new system on July 1, because more than 50 related by-laws have yet to be promulgated.
In addition, many employers have no idea how to calculate the premium deductions from workers’ salaries, Teng said.
Chu Tong-kuang (曲同光), deputy convener of a DOH task force overseeing the NHI program, said the committees’ opinions would be conveyed to the Executive Yuan.
If the government decides to go ahead with the second-generation NHI in July as scheduled, the DOH will make sure that the essential work is completed by the end of May and all preparations finished by July, Chu said.
He also promised that the premium rates for the second-generation NHI would be lower than the current 5.17 percent.
According to an amendment last year to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) that is scheduled to take effect in July, individuals will pay 4.91 percent of their regular monthly salary for NHI coverage.
Meanwhile, an additional 2 percent could be charged based on six categories of income, outside of salaries — bonuses more than four times the individual’s monthly salary, income from professional practice, stock dividends, interest, rent and moonlighting.
Measures have been taken to minimize damage from Chinese espionage, the Ministry of National Defense said on Monday, in response to an alleged plan to deliver a Chinook helicopter to the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The Chinese-language CTWANT magazine earlier in the day reported that a lieutenant colonel surnamed Hsieh (謝) was approached by Chinese officers with an offer to evacuate his family to Thailand in the event of a cross-strait conflict. In exchange, Hsieh was asked to fly a CH-47F Chinook helicopter to a Chinese aircraft carrier in the Taiwan Strait, the magazine said. Hsieh initially declined, but accepted after he was
SAFETY IN REGULATION: The proposal states that Chiayi should assess whether it is viable to establish such a district and draft rules to protect clients and sex workers The Chiayi City Council passed a motion yesterday to assess the viability of establishing a regulated red-light district. The council yesterday held its last session of the year, at which its fiscal 2024 budget was approved, along with 61 other proposals. The proposal to assess the viability of establishing a red-light district was put forward by independent Chiayi City Councilor Molly Yen (顏色不分藍綠支持性專區顏色田慎節). The proposal cited 2011 amendments to the Social Order Maintenance Act (社會秩序維護法), which stipulate that city and county governments can pass autonomous regulations on the sex trade to manage the industry and guarantee industry workers’ rights. A ban on the
STABILITY AND CHANGE: Flagging in recent polls, Ko this week pledged to maintain President Tsai’s foreign policy, with an emphasis on improving China relations Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chairman and presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) yesterday reiterated that he is “deep-green at heart” in response to accusations that he is pivoting his campaign to align closer with the ideology of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in the face of flagging polls. Ko made the remark at an agricultural policy conference in Taipei, repeating his comments from an interview with CTS News a day earlier. Ko told the CTS host that he would continue to pursue President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) national defense and foreign policy in general, but with an emphasis on establishing a rapport with
CHINA illness surge: Of 88 travelers from China, Hong Kong and Macau with respiratory symptoms who were encouraged to get tested upon arrival, 70.6% had the flu Two hundred and sixty people with COVID-19 were hospitalized and 31 deaths related to the virus were reported last week — the highest numbers in four weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday, adding that cases are expected to peak next month. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said that of the 260 people hospitalized last week with moderate to severe COVID-19, 98 percent had not received the Omicron XBB.1.5-adapted COVID-19 vaccine. Among the people hospitalized this year, 78 percent were aged 65 or older, while most of the those who were hospitalized or died have or had
RSS