National Health Insurance premiums to remain unchanged in 2026

Taipei, Nov. 19 (CNA) Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) premiums will remain unchanged next year, the National Health Insurance Committee under the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced Wednesday.

The general premium rate will stay at 5.17 percent, the committee's executive secretary, Chou Shu-wan (周淑婉), told reporters following a monthly meeting of the committee in Taipei.

She noted that NHI reserves are projected to stand at the equivalent of about two months of expenditures by the end of 2026 -- above the legally required minimum of one month.

The committee, comprising representatives from government agencies, healthcare providers and labor groups, is the policymaking body responsible for overseeing the financial planning and premium-setting mechanisms of the NHI system.

The announcement comes after budget negotiations in September, during which representatives from hospitals, clinics, dental services and traditional Chinese medicine clinics agreed on the total NHI spending for 2026.

All four sectors secured the maximum approved growth rate of 5.5 percent, bringing next year's total NHI budget to NT$988.3 billion (US$32 billion).

The 2026 budget allocates NT$685.3 billion for hospitals, NT$186.2 billion for primary care clinics, NT$58.3 billion for dental services, and NT$36.4 billion for traditional Chinese medicine. Other related expenditures will total NT$22 billion, an increase of NT$1.1 billion from this year.