《TAIPEI TIMES》NDC approves NHI budget range above NT$1 trillion

The National Health Insurance Administration in Taipei is pictured in an undated photograph. Photo: Taipei Times

By Jake Chung / Staff writer, with CNA

The National Development Council （NDC） yesterday said it approved an expenditure growth range of 2.619 percent to 5.5 percent for National Health Insurance （NHI） medical payouts, with expected payouts to surpass NT$1 trillion （US$31.1 billion） for the first time.

NHI medical expenditure for fiscal 2027 is expected to range from NT$1.01 trillion to NT$1.04 trillion.

The conservative growth estimate was set at 2.619 percent due to the structure of the insured population, medical costs and the growth in the number of people insured under the program, NDC Minister Yeh Chun-hsien （葉俊顯） said.

The high-end estimate of 5.5 percent takes into account NHI funding, the quality of healthcare and government policies, such as the “Healthy Taiwan” initiative, he said.

The Executive Yuan has said the Healthy Taiwan Cultivation Plan would invest NT$48.9 billion over five years to improve working conditions for medical personnel, cultivate diverse talent, integrate smart medical technology and promote socially responsible, sustainable medicine.

After the Executive Yuan approves the NDC’s range, the National Health Insurance Committee would negotiate the final NHI global budget, with an agreement required three months before the start of next year.

Separately, the NDC passed the draft urban comprehensive flood control management program for next year to 2031.

The Ministry of the Interior proposed the program to address increased flooding in urban areas due to short-duration heavy rainfall, which often overwhelms drainage, the council said.

The project aims to complete disaster-risk maps for 25 urban areas over five years, establish flood-resilience assessment indicators for 311 urban areas, maintain 2,200 smart water-monitoring stations, and use artificial intelligence to improve flood simulations and pumping-station operations, it said.

Total funding for the project is NT$3.3 billion.

The NDC also discussed a report regarding the government’s next-generation anti-drug strategy action plan for last year to 2028.

As of June, the Ministry of Justice had reviewed and revised the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act （毒品危害防制條例） and related regulations, and used the Narcotics Prevention Fund to subsidize civic groups’ anti-drug efforts, the council said.

Data on narcotics, such as types of drug crimes, urine test results, and drug use among children and adolescents, have been compiled and would be announced at the end of this month, it said.