The FSC held a kick-off meeting of the public-private joint consultative body for making improvements to the indemnity health insurance system on January 19. The consultative body made up of officials from the relevant government and regulatory agencies, research institution and industry groups was established to refine the complementary function of indemnity health insurance offered by the private sector and guarantee its sustainability alongside the state-operated National Health Insurance (NHI) program.

At the kick-off meeting, officials discussed the following issues and areas where improvements can be made.

a) Sustainability issue related to the insurance premium hikes and cost burdens on the insured, excessive medical treatments and nonessential hospital visits, etc.

b) Convenience issue related to the complicated offline insurance claims process

c) Complementariness issue concerning the relationship with the state-operated NHI system particularly in the area of out-of-pocket expenses (copayments)

d) Transition issue as the indemnity health insurance 4.0 became available from July 2021

Starting from the end of January, the FSC will set up working level groups with industry officials and experts to discuss and look into detailed areas where improvements can be made to the indemnity health insurance system. The FSC will continue to closely coordinate with the relevant ministries to help reduce costs for insurance and medical services.

* Please refer to the attache PDF for details.