The Taiwan national health insurance program and full infant immunization coverage

Objectives. We compared hospital-born infants and well-baby care use associated with complete immunizations in Taiwan before and after institution of National Health Insurance (NHI). Methods. We used logistic regression to analyze data from. 1989 and 199 National Maternal and Infant Health Surveys of 1398 and 3185 1-year-old infants, respectively. Results. Infants born in hospitals were found to receive fewer immunizations than those born elsewhere before NHI but significantly more after NHI. Use of well-baby care correlates strongly and positively with the probability that a child will receive a full course of immunization after NHI. Conclusions. The NHI policy of including hospitals as immunization providers facilitates access to immunization services for children born in those facilities. Through NHI provision of free well-baby care, health planners have stimulated the demand for immunization.