《TAIPEI TIMES》Taiwan launches microinsurance for heat injuries

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming, fourth right, accompanied by other government officials and a representative from Nan Shan Life Insurance Co, holds a news conference in Taipei yesterday. Photo: Yang Yuan-ting, Taipei Times

By Esme Yeh / Staff reporter Taiwan has launched its first hospitalization-benefit microinsurance policy aimed at heat injuries, with nearly 32,000 low-income households in Tainan included in a premium-free trial plan for a year.

The Ministry of Environment yesterday held a news conference along with the Financial Supervisory Commission, the Tainan City Government and Nan Shan Life Insurance Co （南山人壽） to announce the measure.

Minister of Environment Peng Chi-ming （彭啟明） said that Nan Shan last year proposed the idea to the ministry and the commission approved the heat injury microinsurance policy on May 28.

The measure is part of the ministry’s “cool age climate care action,” he said.

It is different from regular check-in services for elderly people living alone, as it focuses on the 5 percent of the population most vulnerable to heat injuries and uses technology to detect increased risks, Peng said.

More than 3,000 people in Taiwan sought medical help for heat-related medical problems every year, he said, adding that elderly people have a higher risk.

The microinsurance policy provides a lump-sum hospitalization benefit capped at NT$10,000 for people aged 15 to 75 from low to medium-income households, including people living alone.

The insurance premium is to be fully borne by the Nan Shan Life Charity Foundation, Peng said.

Tainan was chosen for the one-year trial period, he said, adding that he expects the measure to be extended to cover all six special municipalities.

Tainan Environmental Protection Bureau Secretary-General Chu Mei-kuei （朱玫瑰） said the number of heat-related medical visits by people aged 65 to 74 nationwide climbed from 333 in 2015 to 791 in 2024, nearly 2.5 times as many as in the past decade.

Many elderly people are not sensitive to heat and tend to avoid using air-conditioning to save on electricity costs, she said.

However, the risk of ischemic stroke more than doubles when temperatures rise above 35°C, Chu said.

The city has collaborated with National Cheng Kung University to develop an indoor temperature forecast model, she said.

The model can be used to forecast indoor temperature changes within a short period based on current outdoor temperatures, Chu said.

A graded system has been established to provide care via phone calls or home visits with cool-down supplies or guidance on nearby cool spots, based on risk levels, she said.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES