The National Development Council (NDC) passed the growth range of the 2016 NHI Global Budget today. Due to the increase in the cost of medical services, the total budget for next year will reach at least NT$614.3 billion, up by NT$23.8 billion (4.025%). The increase rate is the highest since the implementation of the NHI.
The NDC passed the growth range of the 2016 NHI Global Budget in its 15th Committee Meeting. Considering factors such as the demographics, the costs of medical services and the growth rate of the insured population, the NDC sets the floor growth rate of the 2016 Global Budget at 4.025%. The NDC also sets the upper growth rate at 5.80% on account of the NHI finance, the reasonable growth of the reimbursement of medical services and the sustainability of the NHI, etc.
Chu Tung-Kuang, Director of the Social Insurance Department of the MOHW, expressed that the authority took into account of the insured’s demand, the development of the healthcare system and the prediction of the economic growth, and set the growth range of the Global Budget for 2016 at 4.025% and 5.80%.
Chu Tung-Kuang pointed out that the floor growth rate is based on the changes in the population structure, the costs of medical services and the number of the insured.
As for the upper growth rate, it is determined based on the average wages in the industries, the service sector and the healthcare sector as announced by the DGBAS. The DGBAS’s data showed that the personnel cost in the healthcare sector had the highest increase.
Chu Tung-Kuang expressed that the upper growth rate of 5.80% covers the cost of new drugs, the introduction of new technologies, etc.
Tsai Shu-Ling, Deputy President of the NHIA, expressed that the Global Budget will be determined in September through a negotiation mechanism which includes representatives of healthcare providers, the insured, healthcare experts and scholars.
Tsai Shu-Ling stressed that the NHIA is not able to guarantee that the increase of the global budget will be used to boost the healthcare personnel’s salaries. However, the NHIA will try to persuade the healthcare providers to give healthcare personnel a reasonable pay rise.
【2015-06-15 / Central News Agency】
