Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) achieved a growth rate of 5.5% in 2024, the highest in its history. The NHI is targeting to achieve the same rate of growth in 2025 as well.
President Lai Ching-te addressing the parliament recently during a debate on NHI said going forward the authority will work on three targets namely increasing the quality of medical care, retaining medical talent by increasing salaries and increasing flexibility of medical reimbursements.
According to a report in The Taipei Times, Taiwan celebrated Taiwan Medical Week in November this year. According to official data if the NHI factors in the NT$18bn available to it in public funds, the NHI budget grew at a very significant rate of 8% in 2024. The total budget of NHI is likely to exceed NT$1tn in 2025 including the public funds available to it.
Taiwan has, however, temporarily stopped the reforms programme planned for the NHI after the proposal led to a heightened public outcry. This will suspend any changes that were proposed in the NHI supplementary premium rates.
Under the current system of supplementary premium calculation, rental income, interest and stock dividends exceeding NT$20,000 are subject to an additional 2.11% supplementary premium rate. The Ministry of Health and Welfare was, however, mulling calculating such income on an annual basis to prevent people from evading such payments by settling accounts under the stated standard.
The proposed changes were also intended to increase the ceiling for the income-based supplementary premium rate up to NT$50m from NT$10m. The Taipei Times report said the changes, had they been approved and implemented, would have affected up to 4.8m people and increased NHI income by about NT$10bn to NT$20bn.
The NHI programme is a social welfare programme and those with means are expected to endeavour to help those who are disadvantaged.