The Department of Health (DOH) is still targeting July for the introduction of a second-generation national health insurance (NHI) program, despite suggestions it should be delayed, Department of Health Minister Chiu Wen-ta (邱文達) said yesterday.
Chiu said the department has prepared several proposals for the new program based on premium rates ranging from 4.91 percent of basic wages to the current 5.17 percent to help the Cabinet choose the best option.
The department expects to complete preparations for the introduction of the new program on schedule, with details on a supplementary 2 percent premium to be announced next month, and legal revisions to be finished by the end of June, Chiu said.
The new system has been devised to narrow the revenue shortfalls faced by the program — which has mostly relied on premiums calculated based on salary and wages; but with a contribution ceiling — to generate revenues since being launched in 1995.
In recent years, the model has not kept up with rising costs and critics have branded it as unfair, leading to the idea of a supplementary premium that taps into previously untouched forms of income, including professional fees, rental income and stock dividends.
Although the NHI program’s Supervisory Committee and Medical Expenditure Negotiation Committee proposed on March 23 that the introduction of the new system be postponed, Chiu said the department plans to proceed with the required preparations according to its schedule.
Meanwhile, Executive Yuan spokesman Philip Yang (楊永明) yesterday said the Executive Yuan would carefully consider the introduction date because the second-generation insurance program is a key government policy.
Yang’s remark came after local media outlets reported that the Cabinet, following a recent briefing by the department on the new insurance program, had decided to delay its implementation until January next year.
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