Lessons from Taiwan's Public Health System

 I have marveled at Taiwan's Health Care System since I have lived here on the island.  It costs so little but provides so much, even, to my surprise, dental.

Basically everyone pays into the system on a monthly basis and, if you need to visit a doctor, then there is a deductible of NT$50 (unless you get one of those doctors who extra-bills).  There are some annoying things about it such as making multiple trips to the doctor (one filling at a time) and the overdoing it in the pill area (giving you massive amounts of individually packaged pills).

http://taiwanease.com/features/society/pillpopping-practices.php

If you are wondering how the system came to be, read this great article that looks at the genesis of the system that exists today and its good and bad points.

"William Hsiao is a professor of economics at the Harvard School of Public Health and co-author of the 2004 book “Getting Health Reform Right.” He served as a health care adviser to the Taiwan government in the 1990s, when officials decided to reform that country’s health care system and to introduce universal coverage."

http://prescriptions.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/03/health-care-abroad-taiwan/