By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Staff Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

NON-BAHAMIANS with legal status to reside and work in the Bahamas will be eligible for the government’s proposed National Health Insurance plan, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez revealed yesterday.

Dr Gomez confirmed that efforts were on target for the 2016 launch of universal health coverage for all legal residents in the Bahamas, however, details on financing and management of the scheme are still being considered.

He added that the report by Costa Rican consultants Sanigest Internacional, which is expected to reveal projected implementation costs, will be submitted at the end of the month.

Dr Gomez spoke at a special workshop jointly organised by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and related governmental agencies to engage in national consultation with stakeholders.

The social and economic benefits of equitable access to quality health care are widespread, according to the health minister, who cited anecdotal country reports of crime reduction post-implementation of a national scheme. 

Less than 40 per cent of the population have health insurance, he said. 

Dr Gomez said: “The difference with private health care is that they are in the business for profit. You see very often for people who’ve reached retirement (age), the premiums that (insurance companies) charge they can’t afford. So they have to make the choice between how they pay for their food or how they pay for their health. That’s the difficulty with private health care, so many people have no choice. They can’t afford it so we need another form of insurance and that is where this comes in.”

He added: “Universal health care is the access to quality health services but the definition goes beyond that, it’s access to a healthy living environment, and services which promote the health of the entire population.”

The workshop split health professionals into focus groups to provide strategies and suggestions on health governance; systems and services; financing; and social determinants.

Outcomes will be used to strengthen proposed regional strategies and presented at PAHO’s annual meeting in Washington, DC, later this year, Dr Gomez said.

National Health Insurance was first developed as a policy priority under the first Christie administration. A 15-member Blue Ribbon Commission was appointed to review the feasibility of a National Health Insurance Plan and the National Health Insurance Act 2006 was brought to Parliament in November 2006. However, the plan was never implemented.

Under the former plan, Dr Gomez said payment was set at five per cent of salary. Yesterday he added that it had not been determined whether or not the 2016 scheme would be state-run or privately managed.

Yesterday, Dr Gerry Eijkemans, PAHO’s country representative for the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos, explained that countries that already provide high coverage for health services often experience difficulty transitioning to universal care.

She said greater scrutiny must be given to ensure high quality and cost efficiency.

Dr Eijkemans said: “It’s unacceptable that people still die because they do not have access to health services. It is an epidemic, and universal health coverage can bring equity at a much higher level.

“We need to expand priority health services, secondly, we need to include more people, and thirdly, we need to reduce the out of pocket payments of people who will access health services.”

She added: “What’s happening here also goes back up to Washington, and goes back up to Geneva. The topic of universal health coverage is so important that there is discussion going on that this might be the overarching health goal for the post-2015 development agenda.”