title: Achieving and Sustaining Universal Health Coverage: Fiscal Reform of the National Health Insurance in Taiwan.
abstract: The paper discusses the expansion of the universal health coverage (UHC) in Taiwan through the establishment of National Health Insurance (NHI), and the fiscal crisis it caused. Two key questions are addressed: How did the NHI gradually achieve universal coverage, and yet cause Taiwanese health spending to escalate to fiscal crisis? What measures have been taken to reform the NHI finance and achieve moderate success to date? The main argument of this paper is that the Taiwanese Government did try to implement various reforms to save costs and had moderate success, but the path-dependent process of reform does not allow increasing contribution rates significantly and thereby makes sustainability challenging.
authors: Department of Public Policy and Management, I-Shou University, No. 1, Sec. 1, Syuecheng Rd., Dashu District, Kaohsiung City, 84001, Taiwan, ROC. yclan@isu.edu.tw.
authors: Jesse Yu-Chen
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1004-2023
authors: JY
authors: Lan
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D009313:National Health Programs / Q000191:economics*; D013624:Taiwan; D019472:Universal Health Insurance / Q000191:economics*