I’m curious about how many people in Taiwan rely on private health insurance in addition to the National Health Insurance (NHI).
Is having private health insurance necessary, and when is it worth it (e.g., for major illnesses or specific treatments)?
Additionally, does anyone know if full body health checks are covered by NHI?
I got one just to be sure, u never want to find out when you get there. And premiums r tax deductible, so not all “wasted”
I never bothered but most people on here generally say they bought extra coverage from what I read over the years. Guess it’s good for peace of mind.
I’ve had nothing too major and NHI has paid for it all when needed.
Most Taiwanese have it if they are insurable and can afford it. It’s worth it when you need to stay in hospital - with the payout, you can hire a caregiver as nurses are not responsible for tasks outside of medical needs, such as feeding, bathing, changing diapers, etc. You can also upgrade your room (NHI only pays for 3-bed rooms). NHI only pays for the basics. Many doctors here would suggest treatments and procedures not paid by the NHI (Whether it’s to your benefit or just to line their pockets is for you to decide). Supplemental private insurance at least gives you more options.
Some special treatments or a private room are not covered by NHI. One can pay out of pocket or get insured to get reimbursed for those cost.
I can give you some examples:
I would suggest looking into exactly what your needs are, what exactly NHI covers, and then decide whether or not extra insurance is necessary. Many in Taiwan tend to exaggerate things and you’ll often hear “you’ll never…” statements when discussing various issues. Look before you leap and you might save yourself a lot of money.
How expensive is private healthcare? Would the cost ever exceed basic US healthcare costs?
I pay about 7,000NTD per year for private supplemental health insurance. There are various plans depending on coverage. I’m 61 but fortunately I’ve never had to use it. I’ve had ambulance rides, broken bones, pneumonia, and I’m about to get my 4th skin cancer removal, but I’ve paid comparatively little for all of that thanks to NHI. I’m used to the exorbitant price of healthcare and insurance in the US, so supplemental insurance here is a no-brainer for me.
That is very affordable… more so at that age. What is the recommended companies in Taiwan?
Why you didn’t use it? Everytime a go hospital I ask for the papers and I send it to my private insurance and they pay me back around the same I spend or sometimes more like when I sprain my wrist.
For sure. I have 2 policies from 2 different insurance companies. This is perfectly legal, by the way. I got a surgery, spent a day in ICU,
I had to pay something like NTD50k extra over the NHI. Filed a claim at both companies, both paid out, and I got 50k extra in my pocket
I am not sure how things work in Taiwan, but in the U.S., the insurance companies don’t allow duplicate claims by multiple insurance companies. In fact, it would be a fraud to file duplicate claims to multiple companies. You can, however, file a claim to the first insurance company and get reimbursed. If there is any denied/unpaid claim, you can then submit another claim to the 2nd insurance company for the remaining unpaid portion.
It’s fine. Just choose the companies. Some require the ‘real’ bill that you submit, and for other a photocopy is enough. Choose accordingly and Bob’s your uncle
Things like cancer are quite common in Taiwan. The environment isn’t improving so I would plan on getting more insurance for those types of diseases. Especially ones the NHI program barely covers.
This is also why ins urance coverage for things like cancers have gotten way more expensive. It was a smart move for all those people that got it 20+ years ago.
Also be realistic with where you live, how long you plan to stay, your lifestyle and your genetic history. If I was living in say Taichung, I’d be getting every single lung related insurance known to man!
I read your post and was thinking to myself that it’s not “that cheap” at NT$7000 a month. It’s manageable but not that cheap. Then I realized that you said a year. Now that to me is a bargain!!
Does this cost go up as you age? Does it also go up if you have preexisting conditions?
I vaguely remember something on the news a few years ago where they stopped allowing multiple same claims for the same incident with multiple policies.
It used to be allowed but then it was changed to not allow it as people were signing up with multiple insurance and making bank
Depends what you get for that $7000. From the people I know that get it, things like cancer is now a problem. Expensive insurance because it’s so common in Taiwan now and nhi tries hard to not pay much for it (treatment). Also what kind of payout or treatment would expect from whatever types of illness.
Cancer is usually separate as it is too common. And most common types are excluded or have severe restrictions or maximums.
Insurance benefits the insurance companies more than the people purchasing the insurance. Or they would not be selling it.
If you have some savings like say 1million NTD you are better off just using that if you do end up getting some scary disease.
That’s my take more or less as well. However cancer will cost a person waaaaaaay more Han 1 million, unless they die soon. Things like dimentia or physical ailments that require a nurse, a room etc are going to cost a mill a year without any insurance.
I view insurance more as a gamble. If you do end up needing it, it can be good. But they have rigged the game against us and it’s mostly geared towards them becoming ultra rich. I prefer supporting a government that wants to raise taxes and have a more sturdy public funded system. That’s not without corruption, but it’s much preferable.
You mean without NHI as well or without supplemental insurance?