Chinese students enrolled in Taiwanese institutes of higher education for six months or longer would from Feb. 1 next year be included in the National Health Insurance (NHI) system as other international students are, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday.
The policy would be implemented in accordance with the Enforcement Rules of the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法施行細則) after the ministry’s proposal was approved at the Cabinet meeting yesterday.
“Healthcare is a universal value and a basic human right. The government should take care of the health of Chinese students who are part of Taiwan’s education system. This also helps prevent the spread of epidemics,” Cabinet spokesperson Lin Tze-luen (林子倫) quoted Premier Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) as saying.
Photo: Chung Li-hua, Taipei Times
During the meeting, Chen asked government officials to make the necessary administrative preparations and communicate the policy to Chinese students to facilitate its implementation, Lin said.
There were about 3,000 Chinese students in Taiwan in the last academic year, while about 2,100 are studying in the nation this academic year, Ministry of Education data showed.
Chinese students would be listed in the same category as other international students, with each paying a health insurance fee of NT$826 (US$26.19) per month, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元) said in an interview yesterday.
“There are not many Chinese students, so including them in the NHI system would not cause a significant increase the revenue of health insurance premiums. Most Chinese students are young people, who generally have lower usage rate for medical services. Our assessment shows that the system would not incur more expenditure by including Chinese students,” Hsueh said.
The new policy would be enforced in two phases, he said.
The first phase is to begin including Chinese students in the NHI system in February, but students would have to wait six months before joining the system, he said.
The second phase is to waive or shorten the six-month waiting period by proposing an amendment to the National Health Insurance Act (全民健康保險法), Hsueh said, adding that the waiting period is one of many other issues that the ministry would need to consider when proposing amendments.
Also yesterday, the Cabinet approved the Ministry of Finance’s proposal to raise the tax exemption in the next fiscal year to NT$97,000 from NT$92,000 per person.
The standard deduction is to be increased to NT$131,000 from NT$124,000 per person, and the deduction for those with a spouse would be doubled, the finance ministry said.
The tax relief plan was proposed as the consumer price index had increased 5.5 percent as of the end of last month, exceeding the standard of 3 percent for adjustment of the comprehensive income tax exemption, related deductions and tax brackets, it said.
The special deduction for salary income and for people with physical and mental disabilities would be increased to NT$218,000 from NT$207,000, it added.
An estimated 6.62 million households are to benefit from the plan, which would help increase their disposable income by a total of NT$17.5 billion, the ministry said.
The scheme would be applicable when taxpayers file tax reports in 2025 for their incomes and expenditure accumulated next year.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet also approved a five-year program to subsidize rent paid by college students living in dorms from February next year.
According to the plan, Taiwanese college students living in dorms would be eligible for a basic rent subsidy of NT$5,000 per semester, with those from low-income and lower-middle-income families eligible to receive NT$7,000, the Cabinet said.
Students would have the cost of their dorm rent automatically deducted from the bills they receive, the Cabinet said.
Additional reporting by CNA
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS