The MOHW has approved the amount of NT$809.562 billion for the NHI Global Budget for next financial year.  The budget is NT$26 billion more than the previous year.  However, as the NHI premium rate is fixed at 5.17%, the NHI security fund is insufficient to cover 1 month of expenses.

According to the NHI Act, the NHI should preserve a security fund enough for the expenses of 1-3 months.  Zhou Shu-Wan, the Executive Secretary of the NHI Board, pointed out that all budget surpluses from special project funds will be redirected to the Global Budget to help ease the financial strain.

Among the total global budget of NT$809.562 billion, NT$49.518 billion is allocated to the dentistry department, NT$29.691 to the Chinese medicine department, NT$559.129 billion to the hospital department, NT$154.644 billion to the primary care department, and the others account for NT$16.579 billion.

Shang Dong-Fu, Director of the Social Insurance Department of the MOHW, expressed that the global budget comes with 3 corresponding principles: fairness in financial contribution, waste reduction and quality improvement.  He pointed out that these principles are in fact the core values of the NHI.  Therefore, the authority has to carry out the increase in the co-payment with the vulnerable groups’ best interests at heart.  The MOHW is still working on this issue and will continue communicating with the public.  Taking the co-payment increase in 2017 for example, a higher co-payment is charged to patients who visit medial cneters for minor ailments.  This is an example of using triage to reduce medical centers’ workload. 

Waste reduction and quality improvement are also the targets of the NHIA.  The NHIA has introduced various measures, such as online health records, integrated healthcare and integrated clinic services, special treatment programs for diabetes, hepatitis C, kidney problems, etc.  All these are to improve the efficiency of the NHI resources.  

【2022-01-21 / China Times】