New rules for suspending NHI when abroad

I guess having to pay NHI for life could be a downside… you can’t pause it if you decide to leave for a few years.

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Not true.

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Did you not see the recent news? You can no longer pause your NHI for leaving for more than 6 months.

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https://www.nhi.gov.tw/en/cp-51-37d30-28-2.html

That’s old news.

New development is that court ruled this to be unconstitutional and as of end of this month, it will no longer be possible.

Source?

I’ll answer for him (quick google)…

Measures allowing people to suspend National Health Insurance (NHI) services if they plan to leave the country for six months would be abolished starting Dec. 23, NHIA Director-General Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said yesterday

Either that news is out of date and wrong… or the NHI website is more than a year out of date.

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From your article.

People who do not return to Taiwan within two years would have their NHI records expunged, he said.

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That actually seems like a reasonable compromise, for people who have genuinely left.

Happened to my son’s NHI. Was cancelled after he was abroad and did not return after a few years.

Because after two years, they are also taken off the housing register.

I think the rule is supposed to target people who suspends their coverage, then come back just before their register runs out, resume, go see a doctor, then pause it again.

I’ve heard that Taiwan’s NHI is doing away with the whole 覆保 停保 thing for citizens who visit the country. Apparently if my understanding is correct now citizens will have to keep paying while they’re overseas for as long as they retain huji.

Does anyone have any idea what this means for foreigners with APRCs?

I’m resident overseas and in the past I got royally shafted by the restoration of my health insurance (long story short, I entered Taiwan and tried to cancel my insurance before departure, but the authorities didn’t have a record of my insurance being reactivated for me to cancel it. A year later I revisited and they decided to charge me for the entire year plus three months) and I’m somewhat concerned that the next time I go back I will have my health insurance reactivated, with no way to switch it off because I don’t have huji in the first place.

Anybody know anything about this?

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Or come back to Taiwan just for surgery or child birth etc

Is going private expensive in Taiwan? Can one find out the prices online, for say, an X-ray on my back and then a consultation?

Do you mean self paid?

A little expensive on a Taiwan salary, but not too bad.

I remember seeing a chart somewhere from hospitals for full prices.

:thinking: With the new NHI rule starting Dec 23, is there any way for dual citizens living abroad to avoid paying NHI premiums? Does it mean a citizen has to be out of Taiwan for more than two years and officially 遷出戶籍 (remove household registration) to avoid fees?

I’m worried that mayhe, if I’m abroad for 10 years and return to Taiwan, I might be forced to pay back all those years of unpaid premiums. Does anyone know how this works or have any thoughts on what options exist?

If I’m out of Taiwan for more than two years, will I be able to stop paying NHI premiums since I assume I’ll be exited from the household registration (HHR)?

Also, if I’m exited from the HHR and later return to Taiwan, can I just pay for healthcare services individually with cash (without NHI), or would I need to wait 6 months to regain access to hospitals through NHI?

I don’t know about being forced to pay for 10 years of premiums, but I do know that if you get de-registered you will have to wait 6 months. I think (not actually 100% sure) that the 6 month wait doesn’t apply if your employer registers you.

If you de-register from the Household Registration (HHR) after 2 years and return to Taiwan to re-register, are you required to pay NHI premiums starting from month 1 or only after the 6-month waiting period? Also, what is the minimum amount of time you must stay in Taiwan to trigger reactivation of the HHR and NHI payment obligations?