The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) plans to expand its in-home acute care program next year, including coverage for hospice patients, agency head Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said on Saturday.
The program is to begin offering services to hospice patients in the first quarter of next year, with plans to expand the program in the latter half of the year to include people with heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, Shih said.
The program is available to people who have brief but severe episodes of illnesses, such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia and soft tissue infections, he said, adding that many patients were senior citizens.
Photo: Lin Chih-yi, Taipei Times
Since the program began in July, about 260 patients have participated, with about 90 percent of them experiencing symptom improvements without requiring hospital admission, Shih said in September.
The NHIA’s in-home acute care program is part of a broader effort by the government to streamline medical services as it deals with a rapidly aging population.
Government data from 2022 showed that Taiwanese aged 65 and older comprised 17.3 percent of the population, but accounted for 41.57 percent of medical expenditure.
Taiwan is on track to become a “super-aged society” — one in which 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or older — from next year.
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