The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) yesterday thanked the public and healthcare providers for their long-term support as it celebrated the 25th anniversary of the National Health Insurance (NHI) program and the record-breaking number of registers on its “My Health Bank” service.
The second-generation NHI, launched in 2013, covers 99.84 percent of the population, or about 23.9 million people, with nearly 93 percent of the nation’s medical institutions taking part in the program, agency Director-General Lee Po-chang (李伯璋) said at the anniversary event.
Launched in 2014, My Health Bank — a service that allows NHI members to register for an account on the online system and view their medical history on its Web site or mobile app — now has more than 5 million registered members, Lee said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The service also allows direct blood relatives to check the medical history of family members, he added.
The NHI has a 90 percent satisfaction rating among the public, Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) said, adding that it is an exemplary model that government agencies should look up to when providing public services.
Following the introduction in February of the government’s real-name system for mask rationing amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of My Health Bank accounts increased from 1.68 million to 5 million, Su said.
Promoting the health-monitoring service was initially difficult, but the government’s disease prevention measures, including travel history tracing and mask rationing, have contributed to the surge in its users, Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中) said.
A crisis can also be an opportunity, so it is important to make early preparations and keep a positive mindset, Chen added.
In related news, the NHIA plans to double the annual funding for medical compensation to healthcare institutions to NT$12.3 billion (US$417.15 million) as part of the nation’s efforts to improve overall healthcare quality, with a focus on critical care, nursing and medicine-related services fees.
The fund was last increased in 2017, when it was raised to NT$6 billion, the NHIA said.
The proposal would allocate NT$10.3 billion to hospitals for compensation for critical care and medicine services, among other items, it said.
Clinics would receive NT$2 billion for compensation in critical care, inpatient services for internal medicine, the establishment of barrier-free facilities and other services, it said.
The proposed budget, which is still under review, would take effect on Jan. 1 next year at the earliest.
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