Updated! - Taiwan National Health Insurance NHI
Taiwan NHI National Health Insurance
Updated October 2026.
Average monthly cost of NHI per person: NT$1,3771,2
Cost to Deliver a Baby in the NHI: No NHI co-payment for the delivery itself. Typical out-of-pocket NT$2,500 � 5,000 regular delivery. NT$20,000 � 60,000 C-Section (medically needed, with usual extras); NT$80,000 � 150,000 if you request a C-Section without medical need3
1:410 Ratio of Doctors to people in Taiwan (Western medicine; 1:290 counting Chinese-medicine doctors & dentists)4,5
The overriding theme relative to the NHI is this: as long as you have an ARC based on employment, you are immediately extended NHI - from midnight of the 1st day of your ARC�s validity. With a valid ARC, your NHI remains intact.
In the USA� there is no public plan for working-age newcomers; you are covered if you buy your own insurance, or if your employer offers a plan, and the law allows the employer to make you wait up to 90 days.
While in Canada� British Columbia and Quebec make newcomers wait up to 3 months. Ontario has no waiting period, but a work-permit holder must be working full-time for an Ontario employer for at least 6 months to qualify.6
And, in the UK� a work-visa holder who paid the surcharge is covered from the visa�s start date.7
Still, teachers and other white-collar workers often face a variety of issues and questions around getting their NHI cards & using them. We�ve tried to tackle some of the most common questions below, along with providing various pieces of advice.
Q: I�ve gotten my ARC. How soon should my employer file for an NHI card for me?
A: By order of the National Health Insurance Act Chapter Two Article 15 your employer is required to file for your NHI card within 3 days of your ARC�s becoming valid.
Q: What form does my school need to enroll me in the NHI?
A: Click here
Q: How long should it take for my school to get my NHI card once they have filed for it?
A: 10 days.
Q: I got hurt after I got my job but�BEFORE I got my NHI Card. I had to pay high un-subsidized rates for treatment. Can I get reimbursed?
A: Yes, within 6 months of when you got treatment - by order of the National Health Insurance Act Chapter 5, Article 56. Assuming that the hospital or clinic was in the NHI (89.37% are) and the procedures are covered (most are). Here�s an example - your ARC�s validity is from May 10th, 2026 but your employer doesn't apply for your NHI card until July 1st, 2026. As long as your employer pays the insurance fees for May and June then you could submit any medical bills incurred from May10th for re-imbursement.
Q: How would I go about getting reimbursed?
A: Two ways - it depends on when you get your NHI card.
1. If you get your NHI card within 10 days (not counting holidays) of having paid the bills then you can go to the hospital or clinic.
2. If more than 10 days has passed between your having paid the bills and getting your NHI card then you need to go to the NHI office nearest you to get reimbursed. There are just six offices for the whole country. If the office closest to you is too far to travel to you can mail them the paperwork.
Whatever situation you are in you�ll need the following paperwork from the hospital a form.
PAPERWORK REQUIRED for REFUND
1. Receipt???? and itemised fee statement ????
2. A copy of your ARC?????
3. NHI Prepaid Medical Expense Refund Application Form????????????????? Click here (English version: click here)
4. Diagnosis certificate ??? (plus discharge summary ?????? for hospital stays)
Not unsurprisingly the form mentioned above lacks a selection for �My boss didn�t give me an NHI card in a timely manner.� among the checkboxes. You�ll need to tick the box for not being able to show your NHI card in time (??????????????) and attach an explanation. For a printable explanation in English Chinese with blanks for the dates.
REMEMBER: Don�t let longer than 6 months pass or you won�t be able to get a refund.
Q: My boss told me that he already enrolled me in the NHI. Can I check?
A: Yes. Bring your ARC to any NHI Office and they can tell you. If the office closest to you is too far to travel to you can call them. Best to have a Chinese-speaking friend on hand to help you out if you�re going to call. You can also check your insurance record in the NHI Express app ????? (iPhone | Android).
Q: What should I do if my employer hasn�t applied for my NHI card yet?
A: This issue is double edged. One can often find instances here where hard and fast adherence to regulation is not practiced, especially as your distance from the major cities increases. To maximize your options when you are not getting your NHI in a timely manner you need to make your decisions quickly. From the day you are aware that your employer has not provided you with NHI (documented by a trip to the hospital for any minor treatment) you have 30 days from which you could quit without penalty, based on Article 14, Paragraph 1, Subparagraph 6 of the Labor Standards Act:
Under any of the following circumstances, a worker may terminate a labor contract without prior notice:
1. Where an employer misrepresents any fact at the time of signing a labor contract in a manner which might mislead his/her worker and thus caused him/her to sustain damage therefrom.
2. Where an employer, his/her family member or his/ her agent commits violence or grossly insults the worker.
3. Where the work specified in a labor contract is likely to be injurious to the worker's health and the worker has requested his/her employer to improve working conditions but all in vain.
4. The employer, the agent of the employer, or co-worker suffers from a noted contagious disease that may infect employees working with the infected person and seriously endanger their health.
5. Where an employer fails to pay for work in accordance with the labor contract or to give sufficient work to a worker who is paid on a piecework basis.
6. Where an employer breaches a labor contract or violates any labor statute or administrative regulation in a manner likely to adversely affect the rights and interests of the particular worker.
What should you do? Taking into consideration the propensity for employers to drag their feet relative to many rules it becomes a 30-day evaluation:
� Did I get hired through a friend I know and trust from back home who�s still working there - in his 2nd year?
� How many other native English speaking teachers are at the school? A lot? Then augers more toward the wait-it-out position.
� How many of those teachers have stayed more than 1 year? Same as above.
� How long has the school been established? 10 years or more, very good � and THIS branch, not the whole company.
� Do other teachers have their NHI card, and did they also have to wait for them?
From this writer�s experience the no-health-insurance-card right away thing is a bad omen, but not a deal killer, especially if the issues above are all answered positively. But remember, if you are going to use no-NHI-to-quit you need documentation � a receipt from the doctor where you paid full the no-NHI-rate for some treatment � and you need to act within 30 days of that time.
To read a complete report on Article 14 please click here.
Q: I have checked a few times now & I found that my boss still hasn�t enrolled me in the NHI, though I have repeatedly asked him to do so. Can I just enroll myself?
A: Yes, though it may not be the best thing for you to do. I�ll explain that shortly. But, if you wanted to go ahead & enroll yourself: go back to the same NHI office you�ve been checking at so far. Let them know what�s happening. They will enroll you manually. Get the name card of the person who helps you.
This will also open an investigation and a fine process against your employer, which will probably get you fired. If your employer is not giving you NHI in a timely fashion best to document it and then consider if you want to use that as grounds to quit (within 30 days), as outlined in the question immediately above.
Q: Is there a penalty for not enrolling an employee in the NHI?
A: Yes, but it is not very compelling � the employer would be fined two to four times the insurance premiums it should have paid for that employee, on top of paying the unpaid premiums.
Q: If I change jobs is there a deadline by which my new employer needs to apply for my NHI?
A: 3 Days.
Q: My new boss told me that he already enrolled me in the NHI. Can I check?
A: Yes. Bring your ARC to any NHI Office and they can tell you. If the office closest to you is too far to travel to you can call them. Best to have a Chinese-speaking friend on hand to help you out if you�re going to call.
Q: I�m married. Who is included in my NHI?
A: Assuming they are with you: your wife, children and YOUR parents (not your wife�s � her parents would be covered by her NHI were she working). Chapter 1 Article 2 and Chapter 2 Article 9 of the National Health Insurance Act.
Q: How much do I have to pay for the NHI each month?
A: It depends on the type of work you do and your salary. Bushiban teachers are considered employees of private businesses � also known as Category 1. Here are the premiums for 3 different salary rates of Category 1 workers. (A full list for is at the end of the article.)
What is the percentage breakdown of contributions to the NHI for employees of private businesses? You 30%, Your Employer 60%, the State 10%
Other Category 1 rates:
� For teachers at actual state schools: You 30%, Your Employer 70%
� For teachers at actual private schools the breakdown is: You 30%, Your Employer 35%, the State 35%
� Self-employed, pay 100%.
Q: Do I make my NHI payments in cash to my school or is it deducted from my salary?
A: Believe it or not� there is no rule on this. Your school could ask you to give them the premium in cash each month, though in MOST CASES you�ll see it as a deduction from your gross pay. Seen sometimes at small schools as the 1st payment they ask from you in cash then all the successive ones are deducted � that 1st month being when the accountant gets you worked into the system.
GOING TO THE DOCTOR
Q: I have NHI but...are there still fees that I need to pay when I go to see the doctor?
A: Yes. Almost everywhere you�ll see registration fees paid in the waiting room, ranging from NT$150 ~ 300 (since 2024 there is no government cap; each clinic or hospital sets its own). Then, there are co-payments charged afterward for different types of procedures.
CO-PAYMENT EXAMPLES:
Cold??
Academic Medical Centers 420 (170 with a referral)
Metropolitan Hospitals 240 (100 with a referral)
Local Community Hospitals 80 (50 with a referral)
Physician Clinics & Dental Clinics 50
Example Visits for a Cold??
Mackay Memorial Hospital-Taipei (Academic Medical Center) ??????????
General Check NT$420 Co-payment
National Cheng Kung University Hospital (Academic Medical Center) ????
General Check NT$420 Co-payment
Teeth Cleaning???????
Academic Medical Centers 50
Metropolitan Hospitals 50
Local Community Hospitals 50
Physician Clinics & Dental Clinics 50
Example Visits Teeth Cleaning???????
Mackay Memorial Hospital-Taipei (Academic Medical Center) ??????????
Dentist NT$50 Co-payment
National Cheng Kung University Hospital (Academic Medical Center) ????
Dentist NT$50 Co-payment
Arthroscopic Surgery???????
Example Treatments
Mackay Memorial Hospital � Taipei ????????
{NT$2,000�5 (days in the hospital)?NT$8,000(operation)?NT$5,000(others)}�10%?
NT$2,300 Co-payment
National Cheng Kung University Hospital ????
{NT$2,000�5(days in the hospital)?NT$8,000(operation)?NT$5,000(others)}�10%?
NT$2,300 Co-payment
Surgery in-hospital procedure co-payment costs start at 10% in an acute-care ward and 5% in a chronic-care ward when you are treated for 30 days or less. The percentages rise if you need to stay in the hospital more days. In 2026 your share is capped at NT$57,000 per stay and NT$95,000 per year.
Q: If I am prescribed medicine, do I have to pay anything?
A: Yes, the co-payment portion of the medication, described in the table below.
Q: I lost my NHI Card. What should I do?
A: All NHI Offices ???? & all post offices ?? have an NHI IC counter where you can get a new card. It takes about 5 ~ 7 working days to deliver if done in Post office. At an NHI Office it is made on the spot, usually in 15�30 minutes, and you can also order it in the NHI Express app ????? (iPhone | Android) and have it mailed in 2�5 working days. It costs NT$200. You need to bring the following documents with you:
1. Your ARC ?????
2. A copy of your ARC?????
3. One 2 inch photo taken within the last 2 years. ?????? (??2??)
The System
Q: What are the annual outlays and receipts for the NHI?
Q:What�s up with the logo?
Q:Is there a motto?
A:Yes - ?????????????? Contributed to by All, Health for All, Happiness to All
Q:When did the system begin?
A:1995
Q:What did people do before the NHI?
A:There were separate systems. One for government employees, one for all other types of workers and various private insurance systems. Incidence of being uninsured was common.
Q:How many hospitals are there in Taiwan?
Q: Is psychological care covered?
A: Yes.
Q: Can I just go to a hospital to do all my NHI administrative stuff?
A: Nope. Some things just have to go through the NHI.
Q:My income level wasn't covered in the earlier question. Is there a complete list?
A:Here are the NHI Premiums for a range of Category 1 - Employees of Private Businesses - Income levels. Bushiban teachers are considered Category 1 employees.
Footnote sources
1 & 2. NHI Administration, average premium NT$1,377 (in effect since 2021-01-01): NHI Administration � Category 6 premium page ??
3. NHI Act Art. 48 (no co-payment for delivery); out-of-pocket ranges from parenting media (2026): NHI Administration � exemptions from co-payment; Mombaby � delivery costs (Aug. 2026); faqs.tw � natural vs C-section costs 2026 ?
4 & 5. Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics, physicians at end of 2025: 56,405 Western-medicine (24.2 per 10,000 people); 81,607 including Chinese medicine and dentists (35.0 per 10,000): MOHW Department of Statistics � medical personnel; MOHW table 4-3 (PDF) ??
6. Canada: provincial coverage waiting periods: British Columbia � MSP coverage wait period; Ontario � apply for OHIP; Quebec � RAMQ for newcomers (Moving2Canada, Sept. 2026) ?
7. UK Immigration Health Surcharge: GOV.UK � how much the surcharge costs ?