Perspectives on Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Taiwanese Health Insurance System

Approximately ninety-nine percent of Taiwanese citizens are enrolled under universal health insurance that provides comprehensive health coverage including some traditional Chinese medicine therapies. Through in-person interviews and surveys in Taiwan, our study reports on the perceived satisfaction with choice and reimbursement of traditional Chinese medicine covered by the universal health insurance system. Understanding Taiwan’s experiences with incorporating traditional Chinese medicine into the universal health insurance system may provide lessons and implications for other universal health insurance systems or private pay insurance companies that are considering coverage of traditional Chinese medicine and alternative medicines.