A:

According to the National Health Insurance Act, inmates should pay registration fees and some expenses  of  outpatient services, emergency or inpatient care. Inmates who have financial difficulty and cannot afford to pay their portion of the medical expenses to medical institutions  may resort to the following remedies:

1.Inmates who meet the NHI criteria for “financial difficulty” may prepare relevant documentation to apply for an interest-free NHI relief fund loan; or   

2.Apply to the correctional facility for arranging treatment at a medical institution or by a doctor: 

  (1)Application period: Within three months before or after receiving treatment.

  (2)Required documents: A certificate of financial status issued by the chief of village within one year and certificate of low or middle income household.

  (3)If an inmate’s financial status has not improved six months after he or she has been determined to have financial difficulty, the inmate must reapply.

  (4)For inmates who are determined to meet the financial difficulty criteria and unable to pay for their medical expenses, if their safekeeping account or labor income may be used to  pay for the expenses within six month after their treatment session is over, correctional facilities may deduct the expenses from their safekeeping account or labor income.

  (5)In case of any of the following circumstances, correctional facilities may recover from  inmates the expenses incurred in the medical services rendered by a medical institution  or doctor engaged by the facilities for inmates: 

     a.The inmate provides false information.

     b.The inmate conceals or refuses to provide information requested by the facility. 

     c.The inmate obtains supporting documents by fraud or other illicit means.