TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Kuomintang (KMT) presidential candidate Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜) on Tuesday (Sept. 5) promised free health insurance for everyone from the age of 65, in a move likely to benefit four million people.
The proposal would also cover Indigenous people from the age of 55, but would not include wealthier residents, the China Times reported. Hou is running in the Jan. 13, 2024 elections, with recent opinion polls putting him in third place.
In an online post on Monday (Sept. 6) evening, Yunlin County Commissioner Chang Li-shan (張麗善) of the KMT hinted Hou would make “an important statement. This left people guessing whether he would announce the choice of a running mate or work with rival candidates.
However, he unveiled government subsidy plans for health insurance for the elderly. Major cities are already implementing similar projects, but residents of other cities and counties are criticizing Taiwan for being a two-speed country, Hou said.
The price tag for Hou’s proposal is estimated at NT$16 billion (US$501.02 million), per CNA. The candidate said it would help reduce inequalities between urban areas and the countryside.
Most recent opinion polls put Vice President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) in a comfortable lead ahead of Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) Chair Ko Wen-je (柯文哲). Hou mostly finished in third place, ahead of independent Terry Gou (郭台銘), the founder of iPhone maker Foxconn Technology.
