Ministry warns on KMT’s NHI proposalCONSIDERATIONS: The health ministry already provides subsidies for disadvantaged families, but a broader exemption could create budgetary problems, an expert saidBy Lee I-chia / Staff reporterA National Health Insurance (NHI) premium exemption for children younger than six, reported to be proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus, should be carefully evaluated, the Ministry of Health and Welfare said yesterday. Photo: CNAThe ministry said that the government already provides subsidies to partially or fully cover premiums for economically disadvantaged families, ensuring universal access to healthcare. Moreover, the government provides medical subsidies for all children aged three and younger, and economically disadvantaged children younger than 18, it said. The subsidies for children younger than 18 also include those with catastrophic illness or who are eligible through assessments by local government social workers, it added. The system was established in “the spirit of mutual aid,” with the economically advantaged contributing more to help the disadvantaged, Hung said.

Source: Taipei Times March 02, 2026 17:12 UTC