Taiwan will launch a 'health coin' incentive scheme in October to raise participation in health checkups and cancer screening. President Lai Ching-te said points accumulate when people use screening services and can be spent within a defined range.

The aim is earlier detection. Through national health insurance Taiwan has long offered adult checkups and screening for colorectal, breast, cervical and oral cancers free or at low cost, yet actual uptake has hovered around half of the eligible population.

How it works

Completing designated screenings credits points to a personal account. Accumulated points may be used within government-set purposes; specific redemption options and accrual rates are to be announced at launch.

Preventive medicine research finds that financial incentives can lift screening rates. A counterargument holds that when rewards flow mainly to people already screening regularly, the number of genuinely new participants may not rise.

Compared with Korea

In Korea the National Health Insurance Service provides general checkups on a two-year cycle plus age-based cancer screening, with general checkup uptake running higher than Taiwan's. Workplace-organized notification is often credited with pushing rates up.

Chinese-heritage residents enrolled as regional subscribers sometimes miss the mailed notice; checking eligibility directly on the service's website or app is worthwhile.