2nd-gen NHI to reduce fees for 80% of people

The BNHI said, however, that people who have additional income including salary from part-time jobs will have to pay a supplementary premium. The second-generation NHI is expected to remain in the black for the next four years, the bureau said.

According to Cabinet spokeswoman Cheng Li-wen (鄭麗文), Premier Sean Chen said there have been many concerns expressed over the launch of the second-generation NHI, especially in regard to supplementary premiums. Therefore, he asked the BNHI and Department of Health officials to promote the program and answer people's questions about the new NHI regulations.

According to the BNHI, the NHI premium rate will be reduced from 5.17 percent to 4.91 percent. Around 80 percent of people could have their insurance fees lowered by NT$19 to NT$44 per person each month.

The BNHI also said that the supplementary premium rate will be 2 percent. And the additional income will be calculated to include high bonuses, professional income, stock dividends, interest income, rental income and part-time income. The minimum for being included in the calculation of additional income is NT$5,000 and the maximum is NT$10 million.

According to the BNHI, several additions to the second-generation NHI next week will affect around 300,000 people.

BNHI official Hung Ching-jung (洪清榮) said that people who suspend their NHI coverage and leave the country for over six months must pay three months of insurance fees upon returning before becoming eligible to once again suspend their coverage. This new change included in the second-generation NHI is expected to affect 160,000 people.

Another change that will affect people's interests is that retirees who used to work at public or private organizations can only enroll in the NHI as spouses, Hung said. However, retirees who do not have children can enroll in the NHI as unemployed citizens.

Hung said that about 140,000 people who will retire annually will be affected by the launch of second-generation NHI. Those who have already retired will not be affected.

“For people who have not been in Taiwan for a long time and do not have records of enrollment in the NHI for the past two years, the wait period for them to restore their NHI coverage after returning to Taiwan will be increased from four to six months ... affecting around 5,000 people,” Hung said.

3.6 Million People Affected by NPI Increase

Deputy Minister of the Interior Chien Tai-lang (簡太郎) announced yesterday that the National Pension Insurance (NPI) rate will be increased to 7.5 percent from Jan. 1 next year, with 3.6 million people expected to be affected by the change.

Chien said that 170,000 people who are qualified as living in low-income households or as severely disabled will not be affected by this change.

For able-bodied citizens who are covered by the NPI insurance, the average increase in fees per person will be from NT$762 to NT$778 per month. The government, which is responsible for 40 percent of the insurance fee, will pay NT$518 every month per person.

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