Taiwan's new national health insurance program: genesis and experience so far.
In 1995, after a planning effort of about half a decade, the Republic of China (Taiwan) replaced a previous patchwork of separate social health insurance funds with one single-payer, national health insurance scheme that is administered by an agency of the central government's Department of Health. Within a year this bold legislative act brought the health care utilization rates of the 41 percent of Taiwan's hitherto uninsured population up to par with those of the previously insured population. This paper describes the achievements of this policy initiative so far, along with the growing pains it has encountered, and seeks to extract lessons from the experience for health policymakers in other countries.
Cheng
Tsung-Mei
TM
International Forum, Princeton University's International Center, USA.
D017047:Cost Sharing; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D016527:Drug Costs; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D017057:Medically Uninsured; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011050:Policy Making; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013624:Taiwan; D019472:Universal Health Insurance; D014600:Utilization Review