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Taiwan Expat Health Insurance / Healthcare System News |
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Taiwan has a well structured and effective healthcare system. The current system is called National Health Insurance (NHI). This entity was officially formed in 1995, yet the path to its creation was longer and more drawn out than one would think. From the 1960s to the 80s Taiwan experienced its first real economic growth. It was in the late 80s that the government eliminated the old systems that had been established under martial law. The government then began a series of studies through their planning commissions to figure out which healthcare system would be the best. Many countries systems were viewed, with the best elements being taken from each of them to finally forge a new and unique system of healthcare.
NHI is composed of a mandatory insurance plan for residents and citizens that centralize the distribution of the healthcare money. By 2004 the system had achieved close to 99% of full coverage of equal medical access for those enrolled. The financing of the system is by way of premiums, by taxing the salaries of its users, as well as relying on out of pocket funds and some government support. NHI initially used a payment for services approach for both private and public medical providers, but this system proved unsatisfactory as many of these health care providers began to charge clients with a number of unnecessary services and billing the government for this. This ever expanding loss and need for cost control was combated by eliminating this payment structure in 2002 and replacing it with a worldwide budget that attempts to calculate the probable amounts of medical payments. Today Taiwanese residents and citizens can enjoy the benefits of a healthcare system that has seen great improvement since the nation began experiencing its economic boom in the late 20th century.
Under National Health Insurance, Taiwan citizens have open access to all hospitals, clinics, and other medical institutions without the hassle of waiting lists or other restrictions on access. NHI provides a complete set of provisions that ensure coverage for a wide range of medical services and products including prescription drugs, dental services, preventive medical services, nurse and specialist visits, and even traditional medicines. Another important aspect of the system is that it is universal in terms of employment status, meaning whether someone changes their job or loses it, they will always keep their same medical insurance policy. The list of free medical services provided to all include yearly physicals as well as child and maternity care, with some visits to doctors requiring only US$5 co-pays for each visit. This figure will remain unchanged no matter what the user’s income may be. The system employs the use of health smart identity cards which identify each patient’s information and medical history and automatically bills them. This is done to prevent fraud and other errors that might occur. The single payer insurer then monitors the treatment by requiring a 24 hour submission of the patient’s full report, thus inhibiting doctors from overprescribing, and patient’s abilities to cheat the system. The overall satisfaction that NHI enjoys is high by both patients and physicians.
That being said, the system is not without its problems. Several problems afflicting NHI include a lack of funds to cover service which has led to bank borrowing, a revenue base ceiling that doesn’t rise with the country’s total income and premiums that are mired in political indecision. Other problems include a skewed doctor to patient ratio. With so many patients for so few doctors, medical visits have to be very short. The system still requires further funding and tweaking to make it respond completely to these and many other issues such as monitoring patient outcomes from treatment as well as clinical surveys and performance.
The foreign traveler and expatriate should be aware that, while all of these systems are in place, it is important to look after oneself and understand the medical issues that might arise when visiting Taiwan. Most vaccinations are not required for short duration trips. If you are making longer trips into rural areas, however, certain vaccinations such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, tetanus, Japanese Encephalitis, Typhoid fever, and influenza may be required. Conjunctivitis is also common in Taiwan, and dengue fever is prevalent in the urban centers of Kaohsiung and Taipei. All the necessary precautions should be taken to avoid these and any other contemporary illnesses such as (H1NI) swine flu. While medical costs, even for visitors may be lower than other countries, the health risks in Taiwan are real. Obtaining a comprehensive expat medical and travel insurance policy before your trip will be effective in covering any medical expenses or emergency care that might be need on a visit to Taiwan.
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Taiwan Expat Health Insurance |
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Whether you are working or traveling through Taiwan, expat health insurance policies that Globalsurance works with can provide you extensive health coverage. For more information about the Taiwan, expat health insurance that we can provide, or to receive a free expat health insurance quote, please contact one of our expert advisers today.
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