Taiwan Healthcare (全民健康保險, NHI)

Taiwan launched 全民健康保險 (National Health Insurance) in 1995 and runs a single-payer public health insurance system. The sole insurer is the 中央健康保險署 (NHIA / National Health Insurance Administration) under MOHW, structurally similar to Korea's NHIS. Patients access providers using a single IC card (健保卡 / NHI card); co-payments are modest and access to clinics and hospitals is strong, making this the area Korean users find most familiar.

Eligibility and timing

• Citizens and permanent residents (APRC): mandatory enrolment from day one.
• Foreign workers: with a legal work visa and ARC, enrolment is automatic through the employer from the start of employment.
• Other residents (students, dependants, etc.): ARC plus 6 months of continuous residence is required (short trips abroad are allowed within limits).
• Receiving care without enrolment means paying full out-of-pocket, and missed enrolment may trigger backdated premiums.

Premiums

• The standard employee contribution rate is around 5% of payroll (around 5.17% in 2026 — subject to change), split employer 60% / employee 30% / government 10%.
• Self-employed and unemployed residents (district-insured) pay roughly 60% themselves with 40% from the government.
• Dependants (spouse, children, parents) carry their own premium calculation, but per-person caps make this simpler than the Korean equivalent.
• High earners pay an additional supplementary premium (around 2.11%) on bonuses, rental income, interest and dividends, and similar non-payroll income.

Co-payments and access

• Outpatient co-pays run roughly NT$50–420 (2026 levels — subject to change) depending on whether you visit a clinic, regional hospital, or medical centre — comparably low to Korea.
• Inpatient co-payments are 5–30% depending on length of stay and hospital tier, with annual and per-admission ceilings.
• Drug co-pays are very low when prescribed within the NHI formulary; chronic-condition prescriptions are effectively free within set limits.
• The NHI card stores a treatment history, which helps prevent duplicate prescriptions across providers.

From an immigrant perspective

• If you have moved from Korea, you should also suspend Korean NHIS coverage (overseas-residence notification or end voluntary continuation). Holding both at once means double premiums with limited benefit.
• For short trips back to Korea, separate travel medical insurance is the safer option (Taiwan's NHI only partially reimburses overseas care after the fact).
• Taiwan's NHI does not bundle long-term care insurance; 長照2.0 (Long-Term Care 2.0) is a separate, tax-funded long-term care service system.

Things to watch

• Amounts and rates shown are typical 2026 levels and are revised yearly. Reconfirm on the NHIA site before relying on specifics.
• Non-covered items (cosmetic, dental prosthetics, some advanced procedures) are fully out-of-pocket.
• When changing employers, NHI transfer is not always automatic — confirm with HR at both the old and new employer.

Official guidance: 衛生福利部 中央健康保險署 (NHIA)