The National Health Insurance (NHI) system is one of the public policies that people are most satisfied with, President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) said yesterday at a forum in Taipei.
The annual two-day Global Health Forum, hosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, began its first day at National Yang Ming University yesterday with the main theme of “Public Health Governance.”
During the opening ceremony, Ma said in facing global challenges of aging population, declining birth rates, health management and other health issues, the NHI system is the most successful public health policy in Taiwan.
Since its introduction in 1995, it has the lowest administration expenses and most comprehensive scope of benefit packages globally, Ma said, adding that with one of its main features being “universal coverage,” the inclusion rate has already reached about 99 percent, while the program has a satisfaction rate of nearly 80 percent.
Another feature of the system is equity in getting medical treatment in spite of differences in economic backgrounds, he said, adding that the program aims to avoid both “poverty caused by illness” and “illness caused by poverty.”
Ma spoke about a knee injury he had when he was a student in the US about 40 years ago.
He said medical expenses for treatment of the injury totaled about US$3,000, but his student health insurance only covered about US$1,500, leaving him to pay about US$1,500, which was more than he could afford at the time.
Luckily, he was allowed to pay by installments for seven years, he said.
Ma said a similar scenario would be unlikely in Taiwan because of the nation’s policy.
The NHI is a treasured asset, he said.
According to the health ministry, since 1995, average life expectancy has increased from 74.5 to 80 years last year — a rise of 7.4 percent.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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