Experts call for health premium hikes - TW

[dArKeR]

Once the cornerstone of social development, Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) will teeter on the brink of demise if public resistance to premium hikes continues, foreign health experts observed at an international symposium to celebrate the NHI's 10th anniversary in Taipei yesterday.

Although the rest of the world envies Taiwan for its success in providing easy, affordable and universal healthcare, Taiwan's NHI is suffering from a recurrent financial crisis that also besets other nations like the UK, US, Germany and South Korea. As in these countries, health insurance is a highly politicized issue in Taiwan.

"Taiwan NHI's financial problems stem from two factors: people's mindset and politicians' intervention," said William Hsiao (???), a professor of economics at Harvard University who helped design the NHI a decade ago.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2005/03/19/2003246881

For the last 5 years the premium has been about US$100 per year per citizen for TOTAL coverage, unlimited. Operation, heart surgery, cancer treatment, MRIs, dental... So this doubling of premiums to US$200 is...?

Not forgetting some of America's top doctors are Taiwanese, you're getting unbelievable quality in TW.

God bless rich Repukes!