The Sociopolitical Foundations of Health Sector Solidarity: A Cross-Sectional Study of Public Attitudes Toward the Health System in Taiwan.

Abstract

Publicly-funded health systems have traditionally been presumed to be underpinned by solidarity among theusers. To which extent such solidarity presents and associates with what factors is understudied in the non-western countries. This article explores the distribution of health sector solidarity and its relationships with sociopolitical factors in Taiwan. Data was collected in 2021 through a national representative, cross-sectional survey with a sample size of 1272included in the final analysis. The survey showsthat solidarity regarding the National Health Insurance in Taiwan was prevalent in 2021, with 76.6% of Taiwanese willing to carry the cost to enhance the quality of care through the system, while ten years ago, in 2011, that figure was only 49.1%. Nationalist sentiments, belief in differentiated social responsibility, and political partisanship are found to be the main factors associated with this supportive attitude, while familial values are not. The supportive attitude toward the health system remains strong and has increased during the past ten years, implying that the clinical and social effectiveness of the system itself may help further forgehealth sector solidarityin Taiwan.