Foreign professionals and their dependents are to be eligible for long-term care services from June 30, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
Foreign professionals and their spouses, children younger than 18 and disabled adult children would be eligible, provided the professional has obtained permanent residency, legally resided in Taiwan for 10 cumulative years and spent at least 183 days per year in Taiwan, Department of Long-Term Care Deputy Director-General Wu Hsi-wen (吳希文) said.
Those with care needs who are aged at least 65 or are certified as having a disability would be eligible, Wu said.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
However, most foreign professionals in Taiwan are relatively young and would not access the services until later in life, he added.
Long-term care services would be provided according to need, but might include personal care and professional services, transportation assistance, assistive devices and home accessibility modifications, as well as respite care services, he said.
The policy, set to benefit an estimated 100 to 200 people initially, would create a more welcoming environment for foreign talent and improve Taiwan’s competitiveness in attracting skilled workers, he said.
Qualifying nationalities would be set under the National Development Council’s definition of “foreign professionals,” he added.
Also taking effect this month would be National Health Insurance (NHI) coverage for two new drugs and expanded coverage for seven existing medications, the ministry said.
The new drugs would be used in treatment of breast cancer and colorectal cancer, with expanded coverage for chemotherapy drugs and immune checkpoint inhibitors commonly used by cancer patients, it said.
Coverage is also being expanded for treatments of pulmonary arterial hypertension, atopic dermatitis, noninfectious posterior uveitis and spinal muscular atrophy, it added.
New and existing patients with the rare genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy could now save up to NT$6.22 million (US$198,222) per year in medication costs, many of whom are babies diagnosed through newborn screening, the ministry said.
The reimbursement restriction would also be opened to allow children younger than two months old to claim the medication under the NHI, following regulations in Australia and the UK, the National Health Insurance Administration said.
The new formulation would take effect today, estimated to treat 74 to 254 people annually during the first five years, it added.
Additional reporting by Lin Chih-yi
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