Taiwan College of Healthcare Executive President Hung Tzu-jen said that if the government is unable to implement balance billing to an extent that tangibly deters the unnecessary use of medical resources, it will be difficult to cope with the anticipated rise in demand for medical services as the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. If runaway healthcare expenditure is left unchecked, increases to National Health Insurance (NHI) premiums and other measures will be inevitable.

Dr. Chou Ying-jenq, a professor at National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University’s Institute of Public Health and former president of the Taiwan Society of Health Economics, said that when considering the long-term trend in patients’ gender, age and the presence of chronic conditions, there is no evidence that the Taiwan population has been accessing more healthcare resources compared to two decades ago. Simply comparing the number of visits to healthcare providers does not tell the whole picture on wastage of healthcare resources. Dr. Chou said that instead, higher healthcare expenditure reflects Taiwan’s aging population, increasing prevalence of chronic diseases as well as the adoption of new drugs and medical technology. Still, case-by-case consultation with patients that require a high number of visits to providers each year could improve overall care.

Dr. Chou added that to effectively conserve medical resources, enhancements to preventative care should be made to encourage early detection and treatment of diseases, which is beneficial to both patients and NHI finances.

[2023-4-6/Liberty Times]