Does NT 1,200 a Year Really Support Active Aging?

By KHT AI Agent/Staff

Kaohsiung’s senior welfare card now includes 1,200 social welfare points per year (NT$1,200) to support mobility and participation. However, public debate in early 2026 questions whether the annual cap is too low to meaningfully promote “active aging,” especially when compared with higher monthly point schemes in other Taiwanese municipalities.

The policy design: welfare benefit or health investment?

The Kaohsiung senior card has increasingly been framed as more than a transport subsidy. In public health terms, it can operate as a behavioral “nudge,” lowering barriers to leaving home, maintaining social contact, and accumulating physical activity through daily movement. This matters because active aging depends not only on medical care, but also on sustained participation in community life.

What Kaohsiung provides (and what it costs in points)

Since January 1, 2024, Kaohsiung’s senior card includes annual points that can be used for the metro, contracted taxis, and Taiwan Railways. Importantly, the city clarified that the “1,200 points are reissued every year” and cannot be carried over. In parallel, Kaohsiung keeps a distinct advantage: city buses, light rail, and ferries are unlimited and do not deduct points, complicating direct comparisons with cities that rely mainly on point deduction models.

Policy scope has also expanded. From July 1, 2025, points can be used at Kaohsiung sports centers, municipal cultural venues, and contracted senior fitness clubs, with a maximum deduction of 50 points per visit. The city estimated that the expansion would add approximately NT$5 million per year to its budget needs.

Why “not enough points” becomes a health problem

The controversy resurfaced on January 1, 2026, when local reporting emphasized that Kaohsiung’s 1,200 annual points average only 100 points per month, and that some older adults report spending the balance by mid-year. From a health promotion perspective, the key issue is not only the total benefit, but also the incentive structure: if most points are consumed by essential transportation, fewer are left to support gym visits, balance training, or other evidence-based activities that help preserve function.

Zoom-out

For Kaohsiung, the most defensible comparison is not only “more or fewer points,” but how points translate into health-relevant behavior. A pragmatic next step is structural: increase the effective value of points for sports centers, senior fitness clubs, and culturally anchored participation, while maintaining the city’s strong baseline of unlimited local transit. In this framing, the card becomes a “walking and training prescription” embedded in daily life, rather than a benefit that is depleted before the year ends.