TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Taiwanese health authorities are set to include Chinese students in the island's health insurance starting from the 2024 school year, Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan said Wednesday (Nov. 8).
Currently, international students must wait six months after arrival in Taiwan to be eligible for health insurance.
The reform comes as Paraguay expressed concern over the health rights of its students in Taiwan and was endorsed by Vice President Lai Ching-te, who suggested that Chinese students should be treated the same as other international students.
At present, international students who have a residence permit and have lived in Taiwan for six months are eligible to apply for health insurance at a cost of NT＄826 per person per month.
The Ministry of Health and Welfare (MOHW), in conjunction with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) and the Mainland Affairs Council, has been contemplating such a measure for a long time and evaluated its financial impact, Hsueh said.
Once Chinese students are included in the health insurance program, the premiums for all international students will need to be adjusted, but the overall impact will be minimal, the Minister added.
The new measure will not apply to students who are not pursuing a degree in Taiwan but are here for short periods. However, it will apply to international students with a residence permit and could be implemented as soon as September 2024.
Despite a halt on Chinese students coming to Taiwan since 2020 and only existing students being allowed to continue their studies, 378 students registered in 2022.
According to the Ministry of Education, the peak of Chinese students in Taiwan occurred in 2016, with 41,975 students in total.
