Consumption of alcohol, which is a known carcinogen, accounts for TWD5.3bn ($161m) in annual health insurance costs in Taiwan. It also contributes to traffic accidents caused by drunk driving which in turn lead to avoidable insurance payouts by the insurance companies.
As many as 880,000 people were detected with cancer in Taiwan in 2023. The total treatment expenses were around TWD140bn and cancer drug expenses of TWD39.4bn. According to National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) data the average increase in cancer medicine expenditure from 2014 to 2023 was 9.3%.
Alcohol consumption is linked to numerous health issues, including fatty liver, cirrhosis, pancreatitis, oesophageal and neck cancer, gout and hip necrosis. Also,
NHIA has said alcohol-related illnesses, both physical and psychological, represent a significant portion of Taiwan’s annual health insurance expenditures.
According to Taiwan News Agency a coalition of doctors has urged the government to raise Taiwan’s legal drinking age from 18 to 21. Recent data from Taiwan’s ministry of health statistics shows that in a sample of 30 days around 30% of high school students were found to have consumed alcohol.
Earlier in July 2024 the NHIA had proposed to fund new cancer medicines by imposing a surcharge on alcohol. It was proposed to levy health and welfare surcharges on alcohol to fund the government’s plan to raise NT$10bn ($308m) within three years for cancer drugs.
The government aims to reduce cancer deaths by one-third by 2030. NHIA’s proposal has found favour with almost all major medical associations and civic groups.
The fund is needed as the growth rate of cancer drug expenditure has far surpassed the National Health Insurance’s total budget.