The Consumers’ Foundation yesterday called on the government to suspend or lower its planned increase of National Health Insurance (NHI) premiums in light of economic woes felt in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) is considering raising premiums from 4.69 percent to 5.52 or 5.55 percent.
Income for businesses and ordinary people worldwide have taken a beating from the pandemic, the foundation said, urging the government to “feel the suffering of the people” and either freeze or lower the premium hike.
Photo: Lo Chi, Taipei Times
Article 3 of the National Health Insurance Act (全民健保法) stipulates that the government “should at least shoulder 36 percent of the remainder of the annual insurance budget minus promulgated revenues,” foundation deputy director-general Wu Jung-ta (吳榮達) said.
With the NHI’s finances in a sorry state and the end of the pandemic uncertain, the government should show compassion for the challenges people are enduring and bear a larger proportion of health insurance premiums, Wu said.
The government should budget for health expenditures and avoid adding to the burden placed on the NHI by leaving payments up to the agency, he added.
As for expanding revenue channels for the NHI, Wu pointed to Article 76 of the act, which allows for a “social health and welfare surcharge” to be placed on sales of alcohol and tobacco to generate revenue for the NHI reserve fund.
A tobacco surcharge has been implemented for many years, but an equivalent tax on alcohol has not yet been levied, he said.
Wu also recommended that the government consider emulating other nations by imposing a sugar tax, which could raise awareness of the dangers associated with consuming excessive amounts of sugar and provide a significant revenue source for the NHI.
According to the NHI’s estimated budget for next year, if premiums remain unchanged and additional funds are not raised elsewhere, the NHI reserve fund would fall below safe levels by the end of the year.
Officials therefore plan to discuss raising premiums during the NHI Committee meeting on Friday next week.
At this point, as raising premiums for next year appears inevitable, the government should at least consider limiting the premium to 4.91 or 5.17 percent at most, the amount it used to be, Wu added.
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
Taiwanese who have recently traveled to China for tourism, to visit friends or relatives or for business reasons have been interrogated, detained and faced other forms of unreasonable treatment from Chinese officials, a source said on Sunday. Among them was a Taiwanese who was detained for eight hours at an airport in China due to their research, which is related to religion, while others have had their travel documents for China canceled for a number of reasons, the source said. In July, China expanded the scope of its counterespionage law, and recently announced a draft amendment to the law on the protection
RSS