Comparative Health Insurance Systems
TSETSE608500 | 2 credits

Course Description

The development of healthcare systems is a complex process deeply rooted in a nation’s unique cultural, political, and economic history. While each system possesses distinct characteristics, international experiences provide critical benchmarks for reform and policy innovation. Since the implementation of its National Health Insurance (NHI) program in 1995, Taiwan has established one of the world's most significant social programs, fundamentally reshaping its healthcare landscape.

This course is designed to provide students with a rigorous analytical foundation for understanding diverse health insurance systems globally, using Taiwan’s NHI as a central reference case. The curriculum begins by introducing global health statistics and the fundamental principles of insurance, followed by the application of the Control Knob Framework—focusing on Financing, Payment, Organization, Regulation, and Persuasion—as a diagnostic tool for system performance.

The second half of the course facilitates a deep dive into major international models, including social insurance systems (Germany and Japan), single-payer national health insurance (Canada), and mixed models (the United States and Singapore). A critical component of this analysis includes examining the role of private health insurance and how it functions alongside or within public systems to address gaps in coverage, financing, and service delivery. Throughout the term, students will explore the essential trade-off between Equity and Efficiency, applying metrics such as the Gini Index and Kakwani Index to evaluate the fairness of financial burdens and resource distribution. The course culminates in a comprehensive comparative study where students apply these analytical frameworks to examine the challenges of a selected country in relation to the Taiwanese experience.