In an interview with United Daily News, Minister of Health and Welfare (MOHW) Chiu Tai-yuan promised that National Health Insurance (NHI) premium rates will remain unchanged for the next two years, therefore, there will be no need to open discussions about raising the cap on rates. Minister Chiu said that all policies that are undisputedly deemed beneficial for the public will be prioritized for implementation, while also ensuring that open communication with professionals and stakeholders to collate potential impacts.

MOHW Minister Chiu proposed three measures to raise the valuation of NHI medical points, including raising the share of NHI expenses covered by the central government budget form 36 percent to 38 percent; removing the initiatives that are currently being funded by the NHI that are supposed to be funded by the central government; and promoting reforms to raise supplemental premium rates, of which the MOHW’s Department of Social Insurance is drafting the required legislation.

MOHW Minister Chiu also said that it would be impossible to maintain NT$0.95 per medical point by mid-2025 without government spending, however, if the government is willing to allocate funding, a value of NT$0.9 per point could be achieved by 2025. Regarding the Cancer Drug Fund, Minister Chiu said that next year the government will allocate NT$5 billion with the hope of reaching NT$10 billion in the next three years.

[2024-8-6/ United Daily News]