Chamber: Nhi Costs 'A Major Concern'
By NATARIO McKENZIE
Tribune Business Reporter
nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net
Nassau, The Bahamas
THE Bahamas Chamber of Commerce and Employers Confederation (BCCEC) is finalising the formation of a committee to review the Government’s National Health Insurance (NHI) proposals, its chief executive agreeing that implementation costs were a major concern.
Edison
Sumner, who is also a member of the Government’s NHI steering
committee, told Tribune Business: “We are in the process of finalising
the formation of a committee who will be reviewing the NHI proposals,
and once that committee is formed we will start to put positions
together based on the information that we have.
“There
was a private sector committee established several years ago, who
looked at the work of the Blue Ribbon Commission, and we are going to be
studying the work already done and looking at revisions made to the
current plan.”
“Once
our committee would have had a chance to review those details, then we
would be able to begin putting a position forward. As it stands at the
moment, I have been representing the private sector on the NHI steering
committee,” Mr Sumner said.
“It’s
been more of an exploratory process to see what’s available, what’s out
there and getting reports in from the consultant, Sanigest. We haven’t
formed an opinion as yet. We are reviewing the information we have, and
the committee, once they complete their work, then we will begin to
formulate a comprehensive private sector response to the NHI
proposals.”
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.
The National Health Insurance Act 2006 was then tabled in Parliament by
the Christie government on November 2006.
The
Government is now moving towards the “full implementation” of a
National Health Insurance scheme, having appointed a 12-member steering
committee to oversee the full implementation of the National Insurance
Act 2006. The main fears, now as then, were the likely cost burden an
NHI scheme would impose on the Bahamian economy and business community,
and who will pay for it.
“The
cost element is a major concern, and even that hasn’t been determined
yet. We have some ideas and indications but we don’t know; we don’t
know for sure yet how it’s going to be funded. These are questions being
asked and issues being addressed. I suppose we won’t have a final
determination until the work of the consultants and the cost analysis is
complete. We expect to be very engaged in the process,” said Mr Sumner.
March 31, 2014
