Insurance & health care providers abusing NHI– Hon Melvin M. Turnbull
Hon Turnbull was on September 23, 2016 speaking under Any Other Business at the First Sitting of the Second Session of the Third House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands.
“But Madam Speaker my comments are geared a bit differently this morning as we have some persons, insurance providers and care providers, Madam Speaker, blatantly abusing the system.”
Hon Turnbull continued, “Madam Speaker, it is absolutely ridiculous that we have some of the same persons that would say and have said NHI would bankrupt this territory, NHI will fail and NHI would do this and that and they would cost the people this and that these same companies, Madam Speaker, both insurance and care providers, are the ones increasing their rates.”
He further said it the same set of persons are also writing to customers saying, even when providing your private insurance, saying to customers and to the businesses (eye doctors/dentists etc), “That they will not pay because NHI is the preferred or premier provider.”
“Madam speaker if I have ABC company and I produce that after getting tended to by a physician or your office Madam Speaker that is who I want exactly to pay the coverage. I do not have to provide my NHI card. But for these companies, Madam Speaker, to write back to these insurance companies, to write back to the companies, Madam Speakers, the physicians and say they would not pay until NHI covers, Madam Speaker, it is absolutely an abuse of the system Madam Speaker.”
Criminal act
Hon Turnbull further told the House that he has background in insurance and were it anywhere else in the Caribbean or the world, “This would be considered criminal and charges would be brought against the proprietors of these companies and fines would be executed, Madam Speaker.”
He said the difficulty is trying to understand how is it the territory has something to call its own, with an avenue whereby to cover members of the territory that would usually have no access to insurance, and those in position to work alongside this system are the very ones taking advantage of the system.
“Madam Speaker I think and I believe and I have pledged my support to the Minister of Health that whatever needs to be done to address this direct abuse of the NHI, which is put out for our people, Madam Speaker, whatever is need to be done, whatever regulations, whatever fines we need to put in place, Madam Speaker, that we do so because we cannot continue to allow persons and businesses here in this territory to do what they are doing.”
He said that at the end of the day the persons that are being hurt are the people.
Hon Turnbull also alluded to the fact that since its implementation NHI has done good for persons. He also alluded to the Minister for Health and Social Development Honourable Ronnie W. Skelton during his response to questions in the House revealing that NHI had paid out some $16M in claims up to August 2016.
30 Responses to “Insurance & health care providers abusing NHI– Hon Melvin M. Turnbull”
This is a poorly thought out scheme or maybe it is not. Possibly that was the intention all along.
NHI is the legal primary insurer in the BVI it is illegal for a private insurer to be primary insurer in the BVI. How do you expect the insurers to stay in business when in one stroke of the pen you made their services unaffordable to the masses? obviously with a smaller pool to insure the rates went up! How is this abuse? duh? you claim to work in insurance?
The NHI only pays providers what they the NHI have agreed to pay them. How is this abuse?
Please sit back down and read up on the policies and laws that your party has passed and approved before pontificating where you are protected from slander and libel.
All the political back slapping and congratulating does not negate the fact while these all may be good ideas in principle they were all rushed to meet political deadlines and expediency. The result is a series of failures due to no proper planning or transition. We, our children, and our grandchildren, are now saddled with the current, expensive and poorly functioning mess of a health system that we now have.
This is far from a success but a dismal failure and to now lay blame on the private providers and insurance companies who have been propping up this failed health system for decades is undignified and abysmal. Next time you are in our House of Assembly kindly lay blame squarely at the feet of the Minister of Health where it belongs.