Hi all,
Sorry if this has already been asked before but couldn’t find any revelant info.
I’m wondering if the national health insurance is absolutely required when working in Taiwan since I already have an insurance from my home country that would take care of my health expense in Taiwan.
My company told that this is compulsary by the labour council and that I have to apply for one. Company would pay for 70% of it and I have to pay the remaining 30%. However it would be absolutely useless for me because as I said, I already got an insurance back home.
If you are run down in the street by a scooter, who will pay the hospital bill when you check in by ambulance in an unconcious state. Here, they just pull your card from your wallet and - no problem, at least for them. Getting your company to approve their treatment and approving and sending payment is not going to work. Think of it in reverse. Your a Taiwanese and are involved in an accident in your home country. You pull out your insurance card and tell them no problem - I’m covered. Get your money from them. Not likely to work well.
[quote=“Icon”]Yep, it is absolutely unavoidable: by law, if you have your ARC, you must pay your Jien Bao= National Health Insurance.
It might come in handy. In the good old days, furriners were not allowed to have it.[/quote]
Yes, it’s absolutely required and sometimes impossible to get for us foreigners. I am working on contract here in Taiwan. Since my company doesn’t have a presence here in Taiwan and I am paid through the US, the government here says that I can’t get NHI, yet they insist that I need to have it. (Welcome to Taiwan :loco: )
It’s required even if you’re not working … it’s required for everyone to apply for NHI … you just need to go to your local city office and apply, or something …
Or something…
That’s just the case. No one can tell me how to apply for it. Since they take a percentage of your pay, your company needs to have a “presence” in Taiwan.
I agree with you that it is “required”, it is just that no one can tell me how to apply for it. I have tried to get an answer on this for the past 4 years.
[quote=“TheLostSwede”]From what a friend told me, you pay something like NT$500 a month for it if you don’t do it through your job, but I dunno where to apply for it.[/quote]I would say the NHI service centre would be a good place to ask. Exit 8 of Main Station MRT, opposite McDonalds, 5th Floor, they have an English desk.
If you’ve been able to live here for 4 years, are you married? You can get your NHI via her.
Well even if I don’t have my card and that I need emergency treatment, I do hope that hospital in Taiwan would rescue me… (In mainland China it would be different but this is not the subject)
And I don’t need to get any approval BEFORE any treatment… I took a pretty good package which insure me even if I need heavy operations. That’s why the Taiwanese health card would be totally obsolete for me and the 1600NT$ asked is a waste. If it’s compulsary then yes I will take it without any complains, otherwise I just won’t… and this is why I was asking this question. Btw it’s not my company that insure me but a private insurance.
Again, all depends on your own insurance… if I had a Taiwanese insurance that insures me abroad then I don’t see any pb. (I’m only talking about Health insurance)
In Taiwan I’m always paying the FULL fees, I’m not asking to pay the same price as health-card holders.
Just think about tourists or even foreign students in Taiwan, if they need to go to the hospital do they absolutely have to hold a Taiwanese health card?
PS: On the immigration website, indeed it stated that all ARC holders must apply to NHI for Health card but I was in Taiwan for 2 years as a volunteer (instead of doing my military service back home - holding an ARC) and none of us had to apply for this card.
Oli, these NHI guys will get to you. When I was confortably almost a year into my job, the NHI struck me with a nice bill for like 3 years in back payments. Seems my beautiful Foreign Student Office at the university did not know how to process the payments so… they didn’t.
No biggie, I paid, then went back to the university -a lot of paisei’s all around, and that was it. But I was pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of tracking me and hitting me with the bill -even though I hadn’t used their services all that time.
They will get their money.
Also, if you renew your work permit, they might then notice -as they do check the tax payments and stuff- and give you grief.
Their country, their rules. We know you are protected, that is OK, but as JM pointed out, the NHI is mandatory, and they do not care how, but they want their NTs.
Haha yeah from what I heard with tax payments experience, they are very good in tracking.
Actually, it’s been 4 months that I’m working so I have to pay for these 4 months of employment period but they haven’t tracked me (YET?) for the period where I was doing my volunteer mission.
BTW, from the immigration center:
C. Insurance regulations: Those having an Alien Resident Certificate or Alien Permanent Resident Certificate must apply to join the National Health Insurance Program after residing in the ROC for four months. However, legally employed individuals must apply on their first day of employment.
You are always welcome to pay the full, non-NHI price, but foreign students with ARCs, anybody holding an ARC, has to have national health insurance. Tourists wouldn’t apply.
BTW, OP, the organization you “volunteered” for should have applied for the card.
Or something…
That’s just the case. No one can tell me how to apply for it. Since they take a percentage of your pay, your company needs to have a “presence” in Taiwan.
I agree with you that it is “required”, it is just that no one can tell me how to apply for it. I have tried to get an answer on this for the past 4 years.[/quote]
Not true. Individuals can get it without the support of a company. Go to the closests NHI office and apply for it. There is one in every district. You can do it, as long as you have some form of legal residence (ARC, APRC, etc) here. You will pay 100% of the coverage: about $600 a month.
Or something…
That’s just the case. No one can tell me how to apply for it. Since they take a percentage of your pay, your company needs to have a “presence” in Taiwan.
I agree with you that it is “required”, it is just that no one can tell me how to apply for it. I have tried to get an answer on this for the past 4 years.[/quote]
Not true. Individuals can get it without the support of a company. Go to the closests NHI office and apply for it. There is one in every district. You can do it, as long as you have some form of legal residence (ARC, APRC, etc) here. You will pay 100% of the coverage: about $600 a month.[/quote]
Thanks for that. I’ll give it a try and see what happens.
I’ve been asked to pay 1,650NT$ / month
I thought that it was for the 4 months of employment but I just checked and this is per month.
“it is required to enroll you into the Labor and National Health Insurance, the company will pay for about 70% of insurance for you, but you will need to pay NTD1,650 per month for the National Health insurance as Taiwan regular employees do now”
So now you’re saying it’s not just health insurance you’re paying, but also labour insurance… that’s a different cup of tea my friend and you can’t get away from not paying that. But at NT$1,650, you’re stuck paying the full rate my friend, they’re paying f-a as 600 of that is the health insurance and the rest is labour insurance, so someone’s taking the piss when they tell you that they’re paying 70% of it…
I’ve been asked to pay 1,650NT$ / month
I thought that it was for the 4 months of employment but I just checked and this is per month.
“it is required to enroll you into the Labor and National Health Insurance, the company will pay for about 70% of insurance for you, but you will need to pay NTD1,650 per month for the National Health insurance as Taiwan regular employees do now”
I got to check this with my HR[/quote]
Sounds like this would be your combination of health insurance, labor insurance and pension (lao bao). Check and make sure.
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