Taipei Times
Date: Mar 03, 2020
By: Lin Hui-chin and Chung Li-hua  /  Staff reporters

The National Health Insurance (NHI) system cannot have unreasonable expenses if it is to last, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said yesterday, one day after a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker and a health reform group called for changes to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法) to tighten eligibility requirements for the program.

The system, which has been widely praised by other nations, cannot be allowed to collapse, and Taiwanese should receive equal treatment, Su said as he visited the Central Epidemic Command Center in Taipei.

By law, people who have lived in Taiwan for six months with proof of residence or have a regular employer can be covered by the NHI system.

During former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, the Ministry of Health and Welfare expanded the definition of proof of residence to include entry and exit permits and loosened eligibility requirements for Chinese nationals, including the dependents of Chinese spouses of Taiwanese.    [FULL  STORY]