《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Huang An returns for medical care

‘BUFFET FOR SCUMBAGS’: Some Taiwanese netizens expressed anger that the controversial singer is still covered under the National Health Insurance system

By Lin Hui-chin and Jake Chung / Staff reporter, with staff writer and CNA

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Taiwanese singer Huang An （黃安）, who was at the center of a controversy involving teenage K-pop star Chou Tzu-yu （周子瑜） earlier this year, yesterday returned to Taiwan from China for medical treatment after suffering what he said was a heart attack.

The 52-year-old singer arrived at Taipei International Airport （Songshan airport） from Beijing onboard an air ambulance and was admitted to Cheng Hsin General Hospital in Taipei’s Beitou District （北投） at about 1:55am.

Wearing sunglasses and a mask, Huang was taken into the hospital on a stretcher, escorted by about 10 men in black. In a microblog on Tuesday, the China-based singer said he had suffered a heart attack on Sunday that almost killed him, and he posted photographs of himself sitting on a hospital bed.

Huang, who has been pursuing his career in China since the late 1990s, is infamous in Taiwan for accusing individuals of being “pro-Taiwanese independence.” He stirred up a storm in January when he leveled the accusation at Chou after the 16-year-old appeared on a South Korean TV show late last year holding a Republic of China （ROC） flag.

His comments prompted mass criticism by Chinese netizens against Chou and resulted in an apology by her and her South Korean management company.

After the news of Huang’s return to Taiwan for medical treatment surfaced yesterday, many netizens in Taiwan expressed anger.

Some said Huang’s “body was more honest than his mouth,” adding that although “Huang often dislikes Taiwan, he always comes back when he is sick.”

Some said they were angry that Huang is still covered under the National Health Insurance （NHI） system.

“Taiwan’s National Health Insurance program is like a buffet meal for these scumbags,” one netizen wrote.

In response, the National Health Insurance Administration （NHIA） said any Taiwanese who maintains premium payments is entitled to coverage under the system.

National Taiwan University Hospital doctor Shih Jin-chung （施景中） criticized the government and protested that the NHI system was running out of money while the program was still funding the treatment of people like Huang.

Shih’s comments on his Facebook page were in response to media reports saying that Huang was accepted into an intensive care unit and could be taking up an extracorporeal life support machine, which are in short supply in Taiwan.

According to Shih, Huang was “an informer who has spared no effort to oppress Taiwanese in China, and yet is returning to Taiwan to benefit from the nation’s free medical services.”

Huang should not be entitled to benefits that are paid for by Taiwanese, Shih said.

Shih accused the NHIA of being hard on its own medical staff while showering attention on people like Huang, adding that this was the government’s so-called “justness and equality” as well as “looking after the disadvantaged.”

Shih called on the incoming Democratic Progressive Party （DPP） administration to introduce changes to the system so that the government would not have to subsidize people like Huang.

Meanwhile, former minister of health Yaung Chih-liang （楊志良） said an individual’s political views should have no bearing on their national health insurance rights, adding that as Huang remains an ROC citizen and continues to pay his health insurance premiums, he is legally entitled to coverage under the program.

Additional reporting by Aaron Tu

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES