Taiwan should transition to a new insurance-based model of long-term care, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said today.
About 77.3 percent of respondents supported the reform compared to 14.8 percent opposing it, a survey on long-term care insurance conducted by the KMT's think tank showed.
The public opinion poll on long-term care was conducted between Feb. 10 and Feb. 12, with a total of 1,069 respondents, plus or minus 2.97 percent at a 95-percent confidence interval.
Photo courtesy of the KMT
Instead of relying on a system funded by tax revenues and government contributions, Taiwan should transition to a model in which each citizen pays a monthly premium of about NT$100 a month, Chu said.
That figure would be between 20 and 25 percent of the current monthly premium for National Health Insurance, he added.
Taiwan’s declining birthrate and ageing population mean that the current model is no longer feasible, Chu said.
The KMT think tank has already put forward a proposal, he said, adding that the program would be similar to systems in Japan and South Korea.
The number of people enrolled in long-term care has increased by five times, Chu said, and the burden on families who need long-term care assistance is great, he added.
In December, the Cabinet confirmed plans for the government to introduce a Long-term Care 3.0 program this year, which would expand program eligibility requirements, more closely integrate healthcare and long-term care services and expand their capacity.
Long-term Care 3.0 is set to replace Long-term Care 2.0, first launched in 2017 under former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) administration.
With regards to the universal cash payment proposal, Chu cited Singapore’s decision to provide tax rebates to both individuals as well as corporations, asking “Many other countries do it, why can’t Taiwan?”
The KMT would also poll the public on annual leave and national holidays, he said.
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