Taiwanese government has said that the opposition backed changes in health insurance premiums for senior citizens could leave some of the poorest elderly people worse off.
According to a news report in Taiwan News, Taiwan’s health minister Shih Chung-liang said the legislative changes in the health insurance scheme could deprive vulnerable seniors of medical subsidies and undermine the National Health Insurance scheme.
Speaking before a legislative hearing, Mr Shih raised two concerns about the changes. The first concern was that the amendments remove provisions requiring local governments to help seniors who cannot afford medical expenses. These include patient copayments and treatments not covered by health insurance.
Under the previous rules, assistance could also reach seniors whose average household income was between 1.5 and 2.5 times the government's minimum living standard. Under the new changes the subsidies for dentures, artificial lenses used in cataract surgery, and heart stents could be affected.
Health Minister’s second concern was that the amendments conflict with the principle that people should contribute to health insurance according to their ability to pay. He said the government should focus assistance on those in financial need rather than exempt people based largely on age.
The ministry estimates that about 83% of seniors aged 65 and older would qualify for the premium subsidy. The government is of the opinion that such broad coverage could place additional pressure on government finances and threaten the insurance system's long-term sustainability.
The changes would require the central government to cover health insurance premiums for people aged 65 and older whose income falls below the tax filing threshold or whose income tax rate is below 20%, subject to an income cap.