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Pingtung County to subsidize seniors' health insurance premiums automatically

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Pingtung County will subsidize health insurance premiums for seniors starting January 1, 2025.
  • The subsidy applies to those aged 65 and above (55 for indigenous people) with a household income tax rate of 5% or lower.
  • The system will automatically verify eligibility, and individuals with frozen insurance cards due to unpaid premiums will have them unfrozen.

Pingtung County is set to implement a health insurance premium subsidy for its senior residents, beginning January 1, 2025. The program targets individuals aged 65 and older, and indigenous residents aged 55 and above, who meet specific income criteria. The county government estimates that approximately 90% of eligible seniors, around 140,000 people, will benefit from this initiative, with an estimated budget of NT$1.4 billion.

Social Affairs Department Director Liu Mei-shu explained that the subsidy will cover the out-of-pocket portion of National Health Insurance premiums. A key feature of the program is its automatic verification system, eliminating the need for manual applications. The county will conduct monthly cross-agency data comparisons to identify eligible individuals. Those whose insurance cards have been frozen due to overdue payments will have them automatically unfrozen once they qualify for the subsidy.

The county government has established a system for automatic verification, so there is no need to apply. Those who have had their insurance cards frozen due to unpaid premiums will have them automatically unfrozen.

— Liu Mei-shuPingtung County Social Affairs Department Director Liu Mei-shu explaining the new health insurance subsidy program.

The eligibility is based on the household's latest annual income tax assessment rate, which must not exceed 5%. Liu estimated that this threshold generally corresponds to a monthly personal income of approximately NT$139,000 or an annual household income of over NT$1.76 million for a family of five. While the county will handle the subsidy process, individuals are still advised to file their taxes to ensure their information is available for verification. The subsidy, capped at NT$826 per month, will be applied directly to insurance premium statements starting in February 2025, as premiums are paid in advance.

The county government will conduct monthly cross-agency data comparisons to automatically screen eligible seniors and provide the subsidy directly to the health insurance agency for premium reduction.

— Liu Mei-shuDirector Liu Mei-shu detailing the automatic verification process for the Pingtung County senior health insurance subsidy.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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