Oral

Taiwan’s high quality universal health insurance has become the model and envy of many developed and developing countries. Equally impressive yet less known are the health pillars strategically installed throughout the community to ensure a comprehensive health system that cares for people at every stage of life. These pillars include prenatal and child health promotion, communicable disease control, chronic illness prevention, and long-term care for the disadvantaged. Such integrated efforts complement the reach and efficacy of the single-payer National Health Insurance (NHI) and provide a holistic healthcare environment in which the citizens can achieve healthy minds and bodies for longer, happier lives. The Taiwan Department of Health continues to monitor and improve the care and finance of NHI for program sustainability. Since its inception in 1995, the enrollment rate has reached over 99%. Based on the principles of helping each other and spreading financial risk, the NHI brings comprehensive coverage and easy access to healthcare for the citizens of Taiwan; it has become the most important social construct of the country. Taiwan’s experience offers much insight for healthcare reform in other countries around the world. In this session, we organize five subtopics to share Taiwan’s experience of creating a holistic health system that cares for people from birth to old age. The system is an extensive safety net reducing mortality by addressing maternal and child health, prevention of AIDS, cancer screening, and healthy aging. The highly debated health reform is also presented to open discussion on coverage and equality.

Session Objectives: Discuss preventative health services at all stages of life. Describe Taiwan’s universal coverage system. Identify success strategies of the health promotion and disease control programs to date. Assess the outcome of building comprehensive healthy community with the foundation of national health insurance