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The minimum wage hike could raise monthly health insurance premiums by an average of NT$20 for about 8.18 million people.
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Chen Jiayi / Staff Reporter
Health and Welfare Minister Xue Ruiyuan said yesterday that consultation fees for advanced care planning could be covered by the National Health Insurance (NHI) system from next year.
Mr. Xue made the remarks during the opening speech of the Taiwan Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine general meeting and academic seminar held in Taipei.
Advance care planning refers to deciding on your medical wishes before you become seriously ill, and may include drafting legal documents to ensure that your wishes are carried out. Masu.
Photo: Pei-hsiung Zhu, Taipei Times
To ensure that terminally ill patients receive dignified care whether they are treated at home, in residential care facilities or in hospitals, the Ministry of Health and Human Services is considering implementing three strategies, Xue said.
The first step is to discuss plans to increase National Health Insurance benefits for home hospice and palliative care teams.
Second, the Department encourages people to sign advance directives and hospice and palliative care consent forms, in line with the Patient Autonomy Act and the Hospice and Palliative Care Act. ing. He said.
If one in 10 terminally ill patients signed such a form, it could save one day less time in the hospital and potentially tens of thousands of dollars in medical costs, he added.
However, signing an advance directive typically requires a consultation service, which costs approximately NT$2,000 to 3,000 (US$62.07 to US$93.11) per hour, and the cost discourages people from filling out the form. Xue added that this could be a hindrance. .
Therefore, the ministry aims to include eligible fees in the national health insurance coverage, but it first needs approval from the National Health Insurance Commission, he said, adding that the ministry has submitted the idea to the National Health Management Bureau to take effect next year. He added that he would request that the government consider the implementation of the following. .
A third strategy is to incorporate hospice and palliative care into long-term care systems through home-based primary health care programs for people with disabilities, he said.
Hopefully, through the trust built between primary care physicians and home-based disabled patients, patients will be willing to sign advance directives and consent forms for hospice and palliative care, he said. added.
Mr. Xue said that amid debate over legalizing euthanasia, the ministry needs to review its hospice and palliative care policies and consider whether they are doing enough to ensure patients receive appropriate medical care. Ta.
He said the issue of euthanasia is also a challenge for medical professionals as it conflicts with their core medical values of saving lives, adding that the World Medical Association also opposes doctors participating in euthanasia. He added that
In other news, the Cabinet approved raising the monthly minimum wage to NT$27,470 next year, which will also increase health insurance premiums for some people, the ministry announced.
According to the latest estimates, the policy will affect health insurance premiums for about 8.18 million people next year, with an average increase of NT$20 per month per person.
National health insurance is expected to increase by NT$5.2 billion due to the increase in health insurance premiums.
Additional reporting by Lin Hui-chin
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