President Ma Ying-jeou says Taiwan has the world’s best national health insurance program. He was speaking on Monday at a seminar on the program’s 20th anniversary.
Ma said that the health insurance program not only offers universal health care, it also alleviates social problems triggered by high medical costs.
The president said that more than 99% of the Taiwanese people are covered by the program and that 93% of the clinics are in-network providers. He also spoke about why the program has won global recognition.
“The hallmarks of Taiwan’s national health insurance system are low premiums, high efficiency and high quality medical service," said Ma. "So you can say that the system has set new global standards in five areas: it offers the greatest breadth of coverage, the greatest convenience, and the greatest freedom, it’s the most economical, and it has the highest satisfaction rate. So we are grateful for all the attention and the praise we have received from the international community.”
Ma said that while Taiwan has the world’s best national health insurance program, there are still major challenges. He said those include financial difficulties, an exodus of medical personnel due to long working hours, and a lower-than-expected pay scale.