NHI should focus on the uninsured & under-insured – Bishop John I. Cline
Just on Thursday August 27, 2015 Bishop John I. Cline had one such discourse on the controversial ‘NHI’ topic when he shared his personal view as to how every person in the territory could be covered without NHI and eliminating a number of likely challenges, including insurance companies cutting staff.
The Insurance Association of the BVI (IABVI) recently reported that a number of insurance agents may have to be laid off due to NHI since there wouldn't be enough persons for the agents to insure to keep them employed.
Bishop Cline recommended that in order to safeguard the existing insurance companies that operate in the territory, the focus on NHI should be on those currently without insurance.
“Why don’t the government focus on insuring the un-insured so in other words they would send out an invitation to everyone who is without insurance , either the un-insured or the under-insured and they would come and sign up for the programme,” he suggested.
“Let’s say there are 3000 of those persons, then the government would take that bunch of people and either under the National Health Insurance or go to the three or four locally owned or local insurance companies that are there and say to them we have 3000 people that are un-insured or under-insured, we want you to insure them for us.”
A win win situation!
With this system, Bishop Cline suggested that the government of the day can then pay the premium for those insurance companies and those who have insurance, whether it’s to their company or individually, will be able to keep their insurance.
“So it’s a win win situation and I believe in that instance again, for everyone in terms of the government would not have to, I don’t think subsidise insurance as heavily as they would have to under the National Health Insurance plan because it would have to be subsidised, and also those persons who have their insurance, are happy with their insurance would not feel that they are being given an additional tax. They can keep their insurance or feel they are being made to give up their plan that they feel is good,” opined Bishop Cline.
Gov’t don’t have a money tree!
But while the aforementioned is only the personal opinion of Bishop Cline, he said that from where he sits as the Chairman of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA), NHI is a necessity.
“If we are going to continue to get reimbursed for the services that we provide to those under 16 or those over 65 years of age and those who are un-insured, there is no way that health care in the BVI can continue to expand in terms of services and quality if we don’t have the money to do it,” he said.
The Chairman of the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) noted that the Government of the VI does not have a money tree and “obviously” they cannot continue to subsidise health insurance.
“So something has to be done. Now whether or not the NHI as it is, is all that needs to be done? I am not sure, but I know that National Health Insurance is a necessity for the health of the BVI interms of services, in term of quality,” Bishop Cline stated.
Meanwhile, Government has announced that the official launch of the first phase of the registration process of the National Health Insurance will be held on Tuesday, September 1, 2015 at 10:00 a.m.
The launch will be held at the Joshua J. Smith Building (Social Security Building).
NHI is expected to fully come on stream in January 2016.
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46 Responses to “NHI should focus on the uninsured & under-insured – Bishop John I. Cline”
If the insurance companies gave a $h*t they would have been proactive and step up long ago. This reminds me of ocean conversion resting on their laurels with the water issue and only taking action once biwater was in the picture and theatened their bottomline. This is about money for private insurers. If Cline and others truly understood how insurance works they wont be making such silly comments. If it was that.simple it would have been done long ago. NHI may not be.perfect but it will be better than these money hungry companies who only care about money and using technicalities to avoid paying claims. All of a sudden insurance companies are victims? We must be crazy!
- if not NHI what should be developed to finance public healthcare?
- if NHI, should it be implemented in its current form or modified somehow?
They (NDP) have been told this many times but they want the whole hog. They want to administer 50 to 60 million as opposed to 20 to 30 million. Hence they want everybody in it by force. That is the only way they can guarantee to send as much of the money to the financial sinkhole Peebles. They prefer to tax us all to keep it afloat instead of manning up and dealing with the waste.
One thing is for sure it's not going down without a fight. The people are ready this time.
putting forward.But can the insurance companies answer these questions.
What happens if my company lays me off and no longer pays,would my premiu
go up drastically since i will be paying my self.
When i retire from my job and needs to continue would i be denied because of
pre existing condition.
We all know insurance is in the business of making money and will find any way
not to have to pay out,I think they need to step up to the plate and tell the people
how they can better
Not only will the insurance companies have to lay off workers, even small businesses will have to lay off workers too as employers are required to pay a portion of NHI for their employees. So the negative effects of insurance for all are far-reaching.
Even GOV knows that NHI is not good because from day one they've been encouraging people to get supplemental private insurance. They not even covering the basics of insurance with this thing to make it an easy and more realistic pill to swallow. No no no. They introducing all aspects of health insurance that they know financially they cannot handle to pay out in this small country.
Our clinics cannot handle the small number of people that utilize their services right now what will happen when NHI kicks in. Even at the hospital you are sometimes told that they don't have anymore beds and you either in the ER indefinitely or have to go home and return in an even worse condition hoping that they have space.
Right now GOV have a reputation of taking forever and a day to pay for services rendered to the point where some local companies are no longer taking their purchase orders. When private health facilities both locally and abroad start experiencing this they will no longer accept NHI so we will have to pay out of pocket and pray that Gov will reimburse us before we die.
I wonder what other new tax GOV plans on introducing next.
Do you know we will have to pay more for the premiums to get back in? For the older you are the more money you pay for insurance.
How about taxing cigarettes and alcohol, sodas, and fatty salty foods and using this to offset 1.5% of the NHI employee required tax? How about putting some incentives into the program such as if you attend a gym, don't smoke or consume alcohol for a year then you can claim a return at the end of the year?