Taiwan's healthcare success story

 13-May-15, Guampdn 

Taiwan's National Health Insurance system is globally renowned for providing citizens with easy access to high-quality medical services. Over 99 percent of the population is enrolled in the single-payer NHI, while around 93 percent of the country's health care providers participate.

Image: Wikimedia Commons / Solomon203

Basic premiums, which are shared among the insured, employer and government, are calculated on the basis of monthly salary and a set premium scale. Those qualifying as disadvantaged can have their premiums and copayments subsidized or waived if necessary. As the NHI has achieved universal coverage at an affordable cost, health care is not a financial burden for the public. These factors contribute to a system satisfacti on rate of about 80 percent.

But this healthy state of affairs was not achieved overnight. Since its launch in 1995, the NHI has faced funding challenges. Although the system was in the black for the first four years, rising user demand led to budgetary shortfalls, spurring the ROC government to set about implementing systemwide fiscal and structural reforms. By 2013, the second-generation NHI was in place and oversight of the system tasked to the newly formed NHI Administration under the Ministry of Health and Welfare. 

Another step contributing to the success of the NHI was the adoption of the latest information technologies. These initiatives streamlined procedures and improved services.

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