Keeping National Health Insurance (NHI) accessible for all. 論台灣健保局修法規定海外中華民國國民返臺需住四個月才能加(復)保政策. 台北時報論壇

Chiehwen Ed Hsu, UT School of Health Information Sciences, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Abstract

Media reports say that Taiwan Health Insurance Bureau and the Department of Health are proposing an amendment to the health insurance laws to require every returned overseas Taiwanese who has been abroad for more than six months be resident in Taiwan for four months before he or she becomes eligible to re-enroll in the National Health Insurance (NHI) program. The proposed amendment arose from a small portion of overseas Taiwanese who are have allegedly played medical tourists, returning to Taiwan for medical treatments under the NHI plan.

The amendments’ proponents urged “restoring equality” in the NHI. However, the proposal could deny equal protection of access to care for the majority of non-opportunistic overseas Taiwanese who visit Taiwan on a short term basis. In addition, if the amendment passes, the actual financial contribution to the NHI deficit would be minimal, as it could only reduce 0.01 percent of the expenditure.