Hon Turnbull should be blasting his own colleagues about NHI- Natalio D. Wheatley
Host of the “Things to Talk” radio programme on ZBVI 780 AM, Mr Natalio D. “Sowande Uhuru” Wheatley used his weekly programme to put legislators' feet to the fire, lamenting that regardless of the differences that he and Hon Turnbull might have they are still good friends and he would like to see him succeed.
His remarks were based on Hon Turnbull’s recent chastisement of the medical providers and the insurance companies, claiming that they were exploiting the controversial National Health Insurance (NHI) scheme in the House of Assembly on September 23, 2016. Hon Turnbull was at the time making his contribution under Any Other Business at the First Sitting of the Second Session of the Third House of Assembly of the Virgin Islands.
Mr Wheatley noted too that he agrees with Hon Turnbull that some healthcare providers and insurance companies may be taking advantage of NHI but said it is the legislators who should take the blame for not putting proper policies in place.
“We have some persons, insurance providers and healthcare providers, Madam Speaker, blatantly abusing the system,” 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 healthcare providers, are the ones increasing their rates,” Hon Turnbull had said.
He further said it the same set of persons are also writing to customers saying, “That they will not pay because NHI is the preferred or premier provider.” Additionally, he continued, he has a 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.”
Hon Turnbull noted that at the end of the day the persons that are being hurt are the people and, since its implementation, NHI has been beneficial to them.
Hon Turnbull shot himself in the foot
Wheatley stated that the young legislator was actually speaking about several of his political colleagues who are practicing doctors and owns private medical establishments, such as Premier Dr The Hon D Orlando Smith, Deputy Premier Dr The Hon Kedrick D. Pickering and even Turnbull’s own brother Dr Michael A. Turnbull.
“So what are you saying about your colleagues? Are you saying that your colleagues are dishonest? Are they exploiting people? Hon Turnbull, you have that wrong and it is okay to make mistakes as well,” Wheatley said.
A reflection of Hon Turnbull’s colleagues in the house?
Mr Wheatley continued, “I would like to send a message to Hon Turnbull’s colleagues, when you have new people in the house of Assembly you have to do a much better job of taking them under your wings and showing them the ropes so they don’t make those types of mistakes. It is more of a reflection of his colleagues rather than him because he is a new legislator and he is still getting a hang of the job.”
According to Wheatley, one of the points that Hon Turnbull said he had a problem with was that the NHI being the primary insurer for people who are insured with the NHI and any other insurers will be secondary.
“…And if his colleagues had taken him under their wings and explain to him that it was actually the regulations created by the same legislators that they would have voted on already, that the regulations that they came up with are the ones that made NHI the primary insurer. So actually if he wants to criticise somebody for that, he would have to criticise himself and his colleagues.”
NHI hurting insurance companies
Mr Wheatley stated that he does not believe that the insurance companies would even want it like that so it makes no sense to criticise them for that.
“The insurance companies would have liked to be the primary provider because that would make their insurance more attractive to the people of the territory,” he pointed out, saying that right now the insurance companies are the ones struggling since they are now getting supplementary packages that the NHI does not provide for and the general public would have to consider if it is worth getting a supplementary package and paying for NHI as well.
“In fact, it hurts the private insurance companies for it to be that way,” Mr Wheatley said.
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