The Kuomintang and the People's Party jointly passed the "free health insurance for seniors over 65 years old". Zhang Yumeng, director of the Taiwan Youth Democratic Association, criticized in an article, "Congratulations to everyone for taking the responsibility. This may be the biggest evil law this year." The only wealth exclusion clause is in vain, and all the extra premiums are passed on to those aged 15 to 64. After the new blue and white law is passed, you and I will pay an average of 3,000 yuan more per year.
Zhang Yumeng said on Facebook that the version passed by Blue and White (Article 22 of the "Elderly Welfare Law") is almost "unconditionally free" for elders over 65 years old. The only criterion for "distributing wealth" is not to look at property, but to look at the "income tax rate", and a 20% step is used. (In practice, this is in vain) This threshold is extremely high. Calculated, the annual income after retirement must exceed 1.33 million before you need to pay health insurance premiums.
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Zhang Yumeng gives an example:
●A: 68 years old, owns two houses in Taipei, with a total market value of 50 million; a bank fixed deposit of 10 million.
●Someone B: 30 years old, no car, no house, no stocks; savings of 200,000 yuan, annual salary of 700,000 yuan, and monthly rent in Beidiao is 18,000 yuan.
Zhang Yumeng said that after the new law was passed, congratulations to A, a wealthy elder, because his "annual income" is not high, and his health insurance is directly free. B, who is having a hard life, not only deserves to pay health insurance premiums, but before the health insurance goes bankrupt, premiums will increase again. Please donate generously to help share.
Zhang Yumeng pointed out that the premiums exempted for people over 65 years old will not disappear out of thin air, and will all be passed on to those aged 15 to 64. Currently, up to 70% of the salary for health insurance is allocated to young adults. After the new blue-white law is passed, on average you and I will pay 3,000 yuan more per year. There is no such thing as a free lunch. If all taxes were paid instead, each family would pay more than 8,000 yuan a year. When you pay premiums and file taxes next year, remember to thank Lanbai for allowing you and me to pay thousands more every year.
Zhang Yumeng mentioned that Taiwan's health insurance has a "safety reserve" design. According to the law, the health insurance fund must be maintained for 1 to 3 months (at least 1 month) to prevent disasters before they occur. As of now in 2026, there are only about two months left in the balance of health insurance safety reserves. Now that the revised law has been passed, the "income tax rate of 20%" is also used as an ultra-wide threshold. After taking the road, the number of months of health insurance safety preparation will instantly plummet to -0.29 months. Yes, it becomes a liability. As long as it is less than one month, the government must immediately increase the national health insurance premium rate in accordance with the law, otherwise the health insurance will go bankrupt early.
Zhang Yumeng said that this is why it is rare for seven major medical groups to stand up and oppose it, demanding that the "wealth ranking" should not look at the income tax rate, because retired elders may hold real estate or stocks, so what should be looked at is the "overall assets." But neither blue nor white birds are birds. This case was discussed by the party group as early as June 27, 2024, and there was no consensus at all. The result? After sitting on the shelf for more than two years, I went straight to the second reading. The People's Party was rushing 44 days before the election. It waited in line at the entrance of the meeting venue all night last night, and rushed to deliver the case early this morning. Skip the committee discussions, and there’s no actuarial calculation of how much it will cost. Han Guoyu convened a consultation between the government and the opposition at 10 o'clock today, and the third reading was passed at the speed of light within 3 hours.
Zhang Yumeng mentioned that for really poor elders, Article 22 of the "Elderly Welfare Law" originally stipulates that if they are "unable to afford the premiums" (low-income and low-middle-income), the county and city governments must provide subsidies. Blue and White not only significantly relaxed the qualifications this time, but also unified the "subsidy for each county and city" into "central subsidy". Therefore, don’t imagine that the county and city governments will provide the money. The central government will foot the bill. No problem. After the overhaul of the Financial Planning Law, the social welfare budget has been reduced by more than 10.7 billion yuan. Now that the elderly’s health insurance is free, from now on, the central government will provide an additional 54 billion yuan every year, and we will shoulder the burden together.
Zhang Yumeng said bitterly, "When you pay health insurance premiums next year, remember to thank Lan Bai for letting us young people pay thousands more to save the health insurance that is on the verge of bankruptcy. The same goes for filing taxes in May. Thank you Lan Bai for the "pre-election gift package", which makes paying my taxes more and more painful."
