I’ve just applied to Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Bureau for reimbursement of money spent on medical treatment abroad.
At the end of June my son had to see a dentist in Malaysia and we spent about NT$3,600. The dentist gave us a receipt, entirely in English, which I then submitted to the NHIB office here in Tainan, along with:
a copy of my son’s ROC passport (essential because the receipt shows my son’s English name, which is quite different to his Chinese name, and because they check the entry/exit stamps)
our household registration document
my ARC
details of my post office account (reimbursement doesn’t have to go through a bank account; they can issue a cheque)
my signature (accepted in lieu of a name chop)
Claims must be submitted within six months of the treatment. I showed my son’s NHI card but it seems it isn’t needed. The form is entirely in Chinese, but as in other government offices, the workers will help you fill it out.
I was told the money will take about two months to appear. I’ll post again when the money appears, and if there are any hiccups before then.
I’m not sure exactly how it works and what limits exist. I would imagine it doesn’t pay anything for elective/non-urgent treatments that could be safely delayed until you get back to Taiwan. Also, given that treatment in the US is said to be fantastically expensive, you might only get back a tiny fraction of the money you spent. I can’t see the NHI paying out more money for treatment X in the US than they would for the same procedure in Taiwan. (In the case of my son’s dental work, they paid out considerably less than they would have had if the work been done here).
Does anyone know of any other government that reimburses people for medical treatment outside the country? EU citizens can get treatment for free in other EU states (so long as the locals also get it) but that’s under reciprocity arrangements between the EU member states.
Why does Taiwan offer this? I’d like to think it’s because those in charge realize that if people can get treatment quickly, right when they need it, they’ll save money down the line and have a healthier population. Delaying medical treatment today usually means more expensive and less successful treatment tomorrow. However, I suspect it’s good old welfare-for-the-wealthy. If you can afford to go abroad, you can afford comprehensive travel insurance…
I understand that the NHI will pay for EMERGENCY treatment done abroad only. Last year I had to go to an emergency room for an allergy problem and it cost $500US! The paperwork must be translated into Chinese and then after a lot of red tape they will only reimburse what they would pay in Taiwan…a fraction of the US cost. It was so much hassle for so little that we just paid for it our selves. In the future I think I will get travelers insurance.
I’m very glad to have insurance in Taiwan and that we can choose our own doctor, but vacations back home are a problem.
I didn’t have to translate anything into Chinese. The receipt from the dentist in Malaysia was entirely in English. I’m sure someone in the system looked at it and translated the key points into Chinese.
The application form is Chinese only; I filled in what I could and then the worker either explained what I needed to write and where, or wrote stuff in herself.
I bought traveler’s insurance for a recent trip abroad. I got very sick on my last day and when I took the doctor’s/pharmacy receipts to the insurance company here, they said I needed to either take them to the NHI for processing before they would look at them, or I should have gotten the receipts notarized while abroad or at the SA trade office here. I was puking my guts out a few hours before my flight and there was no way I could have gotten anything notarized in Johannesburg that day. I could barely drive to the airport. I took the papers to the NHI for processing. I didn’t have to translate anything into Chinese–the receipts for both the NHI and insurance company needed to be in Chinese or English. They were very helpful at the NHI with fillng out forms, etc. I will keep everyone posted on how much they pay and how the travel insurance thing works out. It wasn’t a lot of money I spent on treatment (NTD 2,500 or so), and both the insurance company and NHI are near my office, otherwise I wouldn’t have even bothered. I would imagine it would be easier in the States, where you can get papers notarized on just about every street corner.
Just received my reimbursement from the NHI. Filed it on 8/25 and received the check and receipt by registered mail today. My bill was for about NTD 1,959 (not NTD 2,500 as I posted earlier, a miscalculation on my part). I received NTD 1,567 back. Not too bad.
Hello, is it still required that the medical treatment is for an emergency? I have a medical condition I’m monitoring before moving here but my employer said that NHI won’t cover the lab fees so I just paid from my own pocket when I visited home. I have receipts for the doctor’s fee
