Taiwan to expand in-home acute care program in 2025: Official

Taipei, Dec. 28 (CNA) The National Health Insurance Administration (NHIA) plans to expand its in-home acute care program in 2025, including coverage for hospice patients, agency head Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) said Saturday.

The program will begin offering services to hospice patients in the first quarter of next year, with plans in place in the latter half of 2025 to further expand the program to include heart failure and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients, Shih said at a medical conference.

The program is currently available to patients suffering from brief but severe episodes of illness -- such as urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and soft tissue infections -- with many patients being senior citizens.

According to Shih in September, since the program kicked off in July this year, approximately 260 patients have participated, with nearly 90 percent of them experiencing symptom improvements without requiring hospital admission.

The NHIA's in-home acute care program is part of a broader effort by Taiwan's government to streamline medical services as it deals with a rapidly aging population.

According to government data from 2022, people in Taiwan aged 65 and above comprised 17.3 percent of the population, but accounted for 41.57 percent of medical expenditure.

Taiwan is on track to become a "super-aged society" -- one in which 20 percent of the population is aged 65 or above -- from 2025.