The Executive Yuan on November 30 approved a 4.7 percent growth rate for the 2024 National Health Insurance (NHI) global budget, with total funding set to reach NT$875.533 billion, NT$39.1 billion higher compared to the previous year. 2024 also marked the first time in eight years that the NHI global budget growth rate reached the upper growth range set by the National Development Council. However, the global budget cannot be considered as final until official announcement.

The 2024 NHI global budget allocates NT$7.093 billion for new drugs and new medical technologies, including conditional listing and new technologies like next-generation sequencing for cancer. Additionally, NT$8.416 billion is designated for holistic health care, covering family medicine, metabolic syndrome prevention, cancer treatment improvements and long-acting injectable antipsychotics.

Regarding expectations for NHI finances in 2024, National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) Director General Shih Chung-liang said that although a decrease in contributions from family dependents will cause a NT$ 2.1 billion reduction in NHI income, the overall financial stability of the NHI will be sustained due to an additional NT$ 5.2 billion income from an increase in the basic minimum wage and a NT$ 20 billion injection from the 2022 tax surplus. NHIA Director General Shih said that at the end of 2023, the NHI reserve fund is expected to hold at a level equivalent to 1.97 months of operating expenses, with a balance of NT$ 127.7 billion, and 1.86 months of operating expenses, with a balance of NT$ 125.9 billion at the end of 2024.

[2023-11-30/Central News Agency (CNA)]