If You Are Unable to Pay Your Premiums or Co-payments-National Health Insurance Administration Ministry of Health and Welfare-Premium Contribution-Assistance Measures

If you are unable to pay your Notional Health insurance premiums or co-payments because of temporary financial setbacks, you may be eligible for one of the following National Health Insurance financial assistance programs:

1.Relief Fund Loans

(1)Who's eligible: Anyone who meets the definition of suffering from economic hardship or extenuating financial circumstances as defined by the National Health Insurance guidelines and certified by their local village, township, city or area administrative office.
(2)How to apply: Please bring your national ID card, personal chop, and certificate from a local administrative office certifying financial hardship or extenuating financial circumstances along with receipts or invoices of out-of-pocket medical expenses from hospitals or clinics to your National Health Insurance Administration Regional Division and submit these with an application for a relief loan. (The documents should also include the family household registration, financial hardship qualifications, and proof of your income and property in the most recent fiscal year). If you cannot apply in person, your agent will have to present his or her national identity card and personal seal, and the agent must be an adult. Once the application has been approved, you will be required to pay back the loan as per the terms noted in the loan contract.

2.Referrals to Charitable Organizations for Help with Premiums

(1)Who's eligible: Those registered in the National Health Insurance program through their local administrative offices and who are unable to pay their premiums.
(2)How to apply: Please bring your household registration and "certificate of low-income status" issued by your local ward chief (or a “certificate of diagnosis” from a hospital if a doctor has diagnosed that you cannot work) to your National Health Insurance Administration regional division and submit those documents with your application for referral. If the application is approved by a charitable organization, you can receive assistance in paying your premiums from that organization.

3.Paying Premiums in Installments

(1)Who's eligible

A.People who do not qualify for relief fund loans but owe premiums (including late fees) of more than NT$2,000 and cannot pay it off in one lump sum because of financial difficulties or other extenuating circumstances should provide a letter from the village or ward chief where their household is registered proving they cannot pay the amount owed in one lump sum or show that their annual income was lower than the sum of the standard exemption, standard deduction and special deduction for salary or wages in the most recent fiscal year, and provide an explanation of their situation. Applications for paying overdue premiums in installments are considered by the NHIA on a case-by-case basis.
B.People whose overdue insurance premium cases have been handed over to the Administrative Enforcement Agency under the Ministry of Justice for collection. In those cases, the staff of the Agency's branch office may decide to handle the case through installment payments.

(2)How to apply:

Please bring your ID card and personal chop to your local National Health Insurance Administration regional division or office and submit an installment plan application with payment of the first installment. (If you cannot apply in person, your agent is required to present his or her national identity card and personal seal, and the agent must be an adult.) If your overdue bills have already been referred to administrative proceedings, you need to get the approval of the administrative agency in charge of the case before applying for the installment payment plan.

Conditions denoting financial hardship or extenuating financial circumstances include:

1.Certificate from the local township (town, city and district) office showing that applicant is a member of a low-income household based on Social Assistance Act criteria.
2.National Health Insurance premiums cannot be paid because the household's main income earner is suffering one of the following circumstances:

(1)Has died within the past two years.
(2)Has been reported as missing for fewer than two years with a certificate showing that six months had passed since the police were notified.
(3)Is physically or mentally disabled.
(4)Is suffering from catastrophic injury or illness that requires long-term treatment and rehabilitation and cannot work.
(5)Has been pregnant for over six months or gave birth within the past two months.
(6)Began military service or alternative military service and still has more than six months of service time.
(7)Is serving a jail sentence, with more than six months left.
(8)Has been unemployed for more than six months.

3.National Health Insurance premiums cannot be paid because of one of the following household circumstances:

(1)Spouse or blood relative who lives in the same household is suffering from a catastrophic illness.
(2)Head of household is a single parent who must support non-adult children on his or her own.
(3)Grandparents left to support grandchildren on their own because of death of parents of grandchildren or death of son and remarriage of daughter-in-law.

If you need further information on regulation details, please enter the website at http: //www.nhi.gov.tw and click on Laws & Regulations and then "Regulations for Identifying the Underprivileged and the Destitute for National Health Insurance Purposes or call NHI toll-free hotline at 0800-030-598."