Page 111 - 2023 Taiwan Health and Welfare Report

08 National Health Insurance and National Pension 08

Table 8-1 2022 NHI Premium Subsidies for the Disadvantaged

Item Beneficiaries Total Assisted Total Contribution
Low-income households, middle-lower-income households,
Premium unemployed veterans, unemployed laborers and their families, disabled 3.653 million NTD 32.27 billion
Subsidies persons
persons, unemployed indigenous people below age 20 or above age 55
Relief Fund People meeting economic hardship requirements set by the Ministry of 1,525 cases NTD 141 million
Loans Health and Welfare
Installment People who cannot immediately repay owed premiums 72,000 cases NTD 2.194 billion
Payment Plans
Referral to People unable to pay their premiums 4,734 cases NTD 36.32 million
charities
Source: National Health Insurance Administration, MOHW (NHIA)

26 contracted hospitals and clinics are managing resources, granting access to appropriate medical
service programs in these areas, and are providing resources to all those insured individuals by the NHI.
service to over 480,000 people. Local people have (6) Health Insurance Telemedicine Payment Program:
indicated an average satisfaction rate of 94% in To facilitate the accessibility of specialty medical
these programs. care in remote areas, local physicians and doctors
(2) Medical Service Improvement Program for in from telemedicine jointly provide online consultations
Medically Underserved Areas: the program and diagnostic advices through video conference
encourages district hospitals in underserved for patients with urgent needs in specialty care
areas or nearby regional hospitals to provide 24- (ophthalmology, otolaryngology, dermatology,
hour emergency care, internal medicine, surgery, cardiology, gastroenterology, neurology and
obstetrics & gynecology and pediatric outpatient/ pneumology only) or for patients with the needs of
inpatient care. The maximum subsidy for each emergency referral (all departments allowed). Then
hospital amounts to NTD 15 million, and the local physicians can also provide with prescriptions.
maximum annual subsidy for hospitals that have In 2022, total specialty telemedicine visits were
no 24-hour emergency service but can provide 6,305 persons, where emergency telemedicine visits
other services is NTD 1 million per year for each were 85 persons.
specialty they provide. 3. Caring for Patients with Catastrophic Diseases and
(3) Improvement Program for Medically Underserved Rare Diseases
Areas: With the spirit of "local services," doctors of (1) Insured individuals acquiring a major illness
Chinese medicine, Western medicine and dentists and injury certificate can be exempted from the
are encouraged to practice or provide rotating copayment. By the end of 2022, over 1.012 million
medical services in these areas. In 2022, a total major illness/injury certificates were issued (the
of 628 contracted medical institutions provided number of patients was over 948,000, accounting
medical resources in underserved areas, serving for 3.8% of the total insured), while the expenses
more than 698,000 people. for major injury/disease in 2022 stood at about
(4) According to Article 60 of the Enforcement Rules NTD 217.2 billion (accounting for 29.8% of total
of the National Health Insurance Act, persons annual medical expenditure).
seeking outpatient, emergency, and home care (2) People with MOHW-certified rare diseases that
services in areas officially recognized as lacking in appear on NHI's catastrophic diseases list, could
medical resources shall receive a 20% discount on not only be exempted from copayment, but also be
their copayments. fully covered for the use of medicines designated
(5) The NHIA established the "Platform for Nationwide by the MOHW as necessary treatment for these
Demand for Physicians in Rural Areas" on February 25, rare diseases. As of the end of 2022, there
2021 to recruit and encourage physicians to provide were approximately 13,000 cases of approved
services in areas with relatively insufficient medical certificates for rare diseases and major illnesses.

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