International Medical insurance vs travel insurance vs NHI

Life Health & Fitness
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Hi, I need some help and some explanation regarding the various insurance options to get. I will be coming to Taiwan for a year on a clinical fellowship. I will be attached to a hospital and undergoing training, however it is not a paid job, and neither do I pay fees. So I don’t really fit into the student category or working category. I have recently obtained my resident’s visa through the local BOCA and I am now trying to sort out medical insurance coverage as many of the posts claimed that expat insurance may be difficult to obtain once I’m in Taiwan.

My present plan is to purchase a travel insurance to bridge through the period of my arrival until the NHI kicks in. However I am also worried if there could be any possibility that I may not be able to get NHI?

So I’m hoping if anyone can offer some insight or any shared experiences on this matter. There has been many threads on these, some have been quite informative but most are a couple of years old and things may have changed. So below are my thoughts and questions that I have:-

  1. I would love to get private insurance coverage for the entire period of 1 year, however most of the quotes I got were very high (US$2800/year upwards), from companies such as BUPA, Aetna, InterGlobal. I can’t help but wonder if I’ve been taken for a ride by the agent or been quoted the more expensive range of premiums, I don’t need anything fancy, just basic medical coverage and hospitalization, so that I won’t get hit with a hefty bill if I do fall sick or meet with an accident. Could anybody who has private expat insurance share their views on this?

  2. From what I understand, Travel insurance probably might just cover my basic needs but does it apply for an entire year? Especially since I won’t really be “on holiday” in Taiwan?

  3. Are there any instances that I cannot get NHI? Because when I was applying for this position, I was asked to purchase my own travel insurance. So what if I can’t get a sponsor for a NHI, then am I still eligble to apply on my own if I have an ARC.

Any advice would be much appreciated!