Guidelines for Acquiring Insurance/National Health Insurance
International Students - Health Insurance Information
I. Student Group Insurance
1. All students are required to participate in student group insurance. The premium is NT$266 every school year. (The amount of NT$133 shall be paid every semester.)
2. For terms and conditions, benefit payment standards, and relevant forms with respect to student group insurance, please see the webpage of the Health Service Division, Office of Student Affairs.
II. New International Student Group Medical Insurance (for international students who come to Taiwan for the first time and have not yet joined national health insurance)
According to Article 22 of International Students Undertaking Studies in Taiwan, when an international student enrolls in a university, the new student has to submit a certificate of medical and accident insurance valid for at least six months from the date when the student enters Taiwan. If the certificate of insurance is issued overseas, it shall be certified by accident insurance. All current students have to submit relevant documents to certify that they have acquired national health insurance.
New students who have not yet acquired national health insurance may join Ming Chi’s international student medical insurance, which is provided by Cathay Life Insurance. (Insurance policy rules and contents of the insurance are available.) The premium for six months is NT$3,000 (to be paid when registration is paid).
＊Notice for Claims: For the same symptom, the insurance company covers only one visit per day. The maximum amount of a visit per day is NT$1,000 and shall not include the following fees:
(1) Registration fee
(2) Any amount paid per day for outpatient services exceeding the maximum amount of NT$1,000
＊Medical benefits paid for the following items:
(1) Outpatient services:
1. Diagnosis, treatment, or surgery
2. Medicine or injection
3. Materials, examination, and checkup necessary for medical treatment
(2) Hospitalization
1. Diagnosis, treatment, or surgery
2. Medicine or injection
3. Materials, examination, and checkup necessary for medical treatment
4. Nursing, Class 3 beds, and meals
Insurance coverage is limited to medical treatment administered in Taiwan. No benefit will be paid for injuries, diseases existing before insurance, and other special diseases and medical treatment specified by the insurance company
* Note: When an international student needs medical treatment due to an injury or accident, the international student is entitled to receive treatment. However, the insurance company will not make benefit payments in the case of any of the following situations:
(1) Suicide and any injury or disease caused by alcoholism, use of illegal drugs, committing of a crime, or war
(2) Infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, childbirth, and relevant complications
(3) Health examination, optical correction, vaccination, orthopedic shoes, scaling, dentures, prosthesis, artificial eyes, or any other auxiliary prosthetic items
(4) Ambulance, medical certificate, fee for designated doctor, fees of special nursing and general care, and non-treatment expenses
(5) Lupus erythematosus (congenital), hemophilia, hyperhidrosis, AIDS, venereal diseases, congenital diseases, ligation, organ transplant, and injuries and diseases existing prior to being insured
(6) A dental patient or a person who recuperates, convalesces, or requires rehabilitation shall not be hospitalized for treatment.
＊Process of Applying for a Claim
1. Go see a doctor at a nearby clinic or hospital, which must be a national health insurance contracted clinic or hospital.
2. You have to pay outpatient service fees and keep original receipts of all outpatient service fees. You have to apply for a medical certificate after leaving the hospital.
3. Please prepare and submit the following documents to the Health Service Division, Office of Student Affairs (ext. no.: 4359) to complete the procedure of applying for a claim.
(1) All original receipts of outpatient service fees
(2) An original copy of the medical certificate
(3) A photocopy of your bank passport
(4) A photocopy of your Resident Certificate
(5) Application for a Claim (available at the Health Service Division, Office of Student Affairs)
III National Health Insurance
According to the law of Taiwan, an international student who comes to Taiwan to study and has stayed in Taiwan for six months after obtaining the Resident Certificate is required to apply to his or her school or district office in the district where he or she stays in Taiwan to participate in national health insurance. The aforementioned requirement of six months refers to the student staying in Taiwan for six successive months after entering Taiwan, or the student leaving Taiwan only once after entering Taiwan and the period for which the student left Taiwan does not exceed 30 days, and the number of days when the student actually stays in Taiwan minus the number of days when he or she stays abroad is at least 60 days. The international student has to pay the premium of NT$749 every month (National health insurance period: August to January / February to July for a student admitted in the spring term; March to August / September to February for a student admitted in the fall term).
Furthermore, a foreigner may subscribe to the insurance with his or her spouse or a lineal blood relative who has a job. The foreigner has to complete the insurance procedure as a dependent at the insurance unit of his or her spouse or lineal blood relative.
National health insurance is compulsory insurance. All people who meet the requirements of insurance must participate in national health insurance in accordance with the relevant regulations. If a person does not participate in national health insurance, the person shall be fined between NT$3,000 and NT$15,000 and be required to complete the insurance procedure to acquire the insurance effective retroactively to the date when the person originally met the insurance requirements. No benefits will be paid until all fines and insurance premiums are paid off. The aforementioned fine shall be paid in the period provided in the written notice sent to the student. If the student still fails to pay, the case will be referred to compulsory execution.
(National Health Insurance Administration: http://www.nhi.gov.tw/)
＊Notice for Subscribing to Insurance with the School
1. Acquisition of insurance:
(1) Six months after the date on which an international student obtains a Resident Certificate, to acquire national health insurance, the international student has to take a 2x2” photo, the Resident Certificate, and its photocopy with him or her to complete the insurance procedure at the Division of International Cooperation (ext. no.: 3007).
(2) If you want to transfer to Ming Chi University of Technology to subscribe to insurance, you have to apply for the transfer-out certificate with the university where you originally studied and then take the Resident Certificate and a photocopy of the front and back of the Resident Certificate to complete the insurance procedure at the Division of International Cooperation (ext. no.: 3007).
(3) An international student who subscribes to insurance with Ming Chi has to pay the national health insurance premium for the period between September of the current year and February of the next year in the first semester and pay the premium for the period between March and August in the second semester (Monthly national health insurance premium NT$749 x 6 months = NT$4,494).
2. Withdrawing from insurance: A student who is going to leave Taiwan due to graduation, suspension, or withdrawal from school has to complete the insurance withdrawal procedure and premium return at the Division of International Cooperation (ext. no.: 3007).
3. Transferring out: A student who is going to work in Taiwan after graduation or transfer to another school has to complete the transferring out procedure at the Division of International Cooperation (ext. no.: 3007).
4. What should I do if I lose my national health insurance card?
If you need to apply to have a national health insurance IC card reissued due to a change in your personal information or a lost national health insurance card, please take a 2x2” photo with you to complete the procedure at the post office or the National Health Insurance Administration. You will have to pay a fee of NT$200 to cover the related costs.
5. Going to a doctor:
An international student will be given a national health insurance card after acquiring national health insurance. The student may take the national health insurance card and Resident Certificate with him or her to see a doctor at any of the national health insurance contracted hospitals or clinics. Even with the card, the student still has to pay the registration fee and part of the medical fees.