The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business 
Reporter

mckenzie@tribunemedia.net

National Health Insurance (NHI) is “dead on arrival” unless the Government can develop an affordable contributory plan, an outspoken businessman urging it to “look at itself” before it approaches the private sector.

Former Chamber of Commerce president, Dionisio D’Aguilar, told Tribune Business that now was not the time for the Government to even be discussing NHI, given the private sector’s concerns over Value-Added Tax (VAT).

“Businesses aren’t hearing that right now. Let’s get this tax situation sorted out first. No one wants to talk about NHI right now. Right now the private sector is thinking VAT. Let’s get over that hump. Don’t even think about talking about NHI until we sort that that out,” Mr D’Aguilar said.

“The Government needs to look at itself before it looks at the private sector. The Government is providing health care it can’t afford. It just borrows money to pay for it. Pension costs are out of control. Don’t come to the business community and mandate something that the Government itself cannot provide.”

Minister of state for finance, Michael Halkitis, said in Parliament last week that the Government spends close to $100 million to insure the health of just over 15,000 civil servants. Many civil servants and other Bahamians still do not have the benefit of health insurance.

National Health Insurance was 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, and passed, in Parliament by the Christie government on November 2006.

The Government is now proposing to implement its National Health Insurance scheme in January 2016.

“Health insurance is horribly expensive. Unless the Government can come up with an affordable contributory plan, this talk about National Health Insurance is dead on arrival. What’s out there now being provided by private companies is just unaffordable. If I were to provide healthcare for all of my staff that would cost me anywhere from $25,000-$30,000 a month,” said Mr D’Aguilar.

“The vast majority of people don’t have health insurance, and so they end up in Princess Margaret Hospital being cared for by the state. There is no alternative. It’s either get it free from the state or you pay an exorbitant premium.

“I sat on the board of a health insurance company once. It’s not like they make a heap of money. It’s a very difficult business to make money in because the cost of healthcare keeps spiralling upward.

“We need to look at why that is. There is also a certain amount of responsibility that lies with an individual to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

“There are just too many in our population who, for example, are obese or drink heavily. You have to address the cost of healthcare and lifestyle before you talk about National Health Insurance,” Mr D’Aguilar said.