President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) attended the National Health Insurance 30 Symposium on Friday morning, an event co-organized by the Taipei School of Economics and Political Science Foundation (TSEF). While praising the accomplishments and impact of Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) system, he also underscored several pressing challenges.

In his opening remarks, President Lai highlighted that Taiwan’s NHI boasts a coverage rate of 98-99%, offering benefits for a wide range of medical conditions, from the common cold to organ transplants and cancer treatments. He noted that Taiwan leads the world in disease coverage and, according to global database Numbeo, has ranked first in the Health Care Index for six consecutive years.

However, the president also raised concerns about Taiwan’s medical sector, particularly the shortage of doctors in key specialties such as internal medicine, surgery, obstetrics, and pediatrics. If this trend continues, he warned, it could have serious repercussions for public healthcare.

TSEF Chairperson Huang Hsiung-huang (黃煌雄) echoed these concerns, emphasizing that Taiwan’s NHI system faces unprecedented challenges. He pointed to rapid population aging and declining birth rates, warning that an aging society will increase healthcare expenditures, while a shrinking workforce could undermine the system’s financial sustainability, leading to intergenerational inequities. The convergence of these demographic trends, he cautioned, could impose an unsustainable financial burden on Taiwan’s NHI.