Taiwan Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.Anti-spam check. Do not fill this in! ===Health=== {{Main|Healthcare in Taiwan}} [[File:Taipei Taiwan National-Taiwan-University-Hospital-05.jpg|thumb|[[National Taiwan University Hospital]]]] The current [[healthcare system]], known as National Health Insurance (NHI), was instituted in 1995. NHI is a [[Single-payer health care|single-payer]] compulsory social insurance plan that centralizes the disbursement of healthcare funds. The system promises equal access to healthcare for all citizens, and the population coverage had reached 99 percent by the end of 2004.<ref>Fanchiang, Cecilia.[http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 "New IC health insurance card expected to offer many benefits"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080606010447/http://taiwanjournal.nat.gov.tw/site/Tj/ct.asp?xItem=20439&CtNode=122 |date=6 June 2008 }}, ''Taiwan Journal, 2 January 2004'' Accessed 28 March 2008</ref> NHI is mainly financed through premiums, which are based on the payroll tax, and is supplemented with out-of-pocket co-payments and direct government funding.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=Premium Contribution|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071346/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=243A2FD60A897110&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8|title=How Premiums Are Calculated|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071249/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=B9C9C690524F2543&topn=46FA76EB55BC2CB8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050|title=Copayments|website=National Health Insurance Administration|access-date=7 August 2022|archive-date=7 August 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807071408/https://www.nhi.gov.tw/English/Content_List.aspx?n=E5509C8FE29950EA&topn=1D1ECC54F86E9050}}</ref> Low-income families, veterans, centenarians, children under three, and catastrophic diseases are exempt from co-payments. Co-pays are reduced for disabled and low-income households maintain 100 percent premium coverage. Early in the program, the payment system was predominantly [[fee-for-service]]. Most health providers operate in the private sector and form a competitive market on the health delivery side. However, many healthcare providers took advantage of the system by offering unnecessary services. In the face of increasing loss and the need for cost containment, NHI changed the payment system from fee-for-service to a global budget, a kind of [[prospective payment system]], in 2002. The implementation of universal healthcare created fewer [[health disparities]] for lower-income citizens in Taiwan. According to a recently published survey, out of 3,360 patients surveyed at a randomly chosen hospital, 75.1 percent of the patients said they are "very satisfied" with the hospital service; 20.5 percent said they are "okay" with the service. Only 4.4 percent of the patients said they are either "not satisfied" or "very not satisfied" with the service or care provided.<ref>{{Cite news|title=Taiwanese Hospital Public Satisfaction Poll |date=October 2004|publisher=Taiwan Department of Health |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090921050255/http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|url=http://www.hcquality.helthe.net/reports/showreports.php?id=2_1|archive-date=21 September 2009|language=zh}}</ref> The Taiwanese disease control authority is the [[Taiwan Centers for Disease Control]] (CDC). During the [[Severe acute respiratory syndrome|SARS]] outbreak in March 2003 there were 347 confirmed cases. During the outbreak the CDC and local governments set up monitoring stations throughout public transportation, recreational sites and other public areas. With full containment in July 2003, there has not been a case of SARS since.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Center for Disease Control |date=18 July 2006 |publisher=Taiwan CDC |url=https://www.cdc.gov.tw |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160807030114/http://www.cdc.gov.tw/ |archive-date=7 August 2016}}</ref> Owing to the lessons from SARS, a {{ill|National Health Command Center|fr|Centre de commandement national de la santé}} was established in 2004, which includes the [[Central Epidemic Command Center]] (CECC). The CECC has played a central role in Taiwan's approach to epidemics, including [[COVID-19 pandemic in Taiwan|COVID-19]]. In 2019, the infant mortality rate was 4.2 deaths per 1,000 live births, with 20 physicians and 71 hospital beds per 10,000 people.<ref>{{cite web|date=17 July 2020|title=Statistics of Medical Care Institution's Status & Hospital Utilization 2019|url=https://www.mohw.gov.tw/cp-4932-54834-2.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html|title=Infant mortality rate|access-date=16 August 2020|archive-date=17 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817221237/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/354.html}}</ref> Life expectancy at birth in 2020 is 77.5 years and 83.9 years for males and females, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|date=12 August 2020|title=Taiwan|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/taiwan/}}</ref> Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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