Leslie Miller
By SANCHESKA BROWN
Tribune Staff Reporter
sbrown@tribunemedia.net
TALL Pines MP Leslie Miller said yesterday there is “no way in hell” National Health Insurance will be ready for a January roll out as long as the government continues to “dialogue with greedy insurance companies.”
The outspoken MP also said Emmanuel Komolafe, the Bahamas Insurance Association’s (BIA) chairman, needs to “head back to his country and see what he could implement there.”
“He is not one of us, so I don’t appreciate him (Mr Komolafe) trying to dictate to us what we should do. He needs to haul his a back to his country and make a contribution there,” Mr Miller said.
“He wants the government to implement his plan, that plan isn’t for the Bahamian people. The government’s plan is for the people, the insurance companies’ plan is for them. They will continue to threaten the people and threaten the government right up until the ballot box closes at 6pm on Election Day.”
Mr Miller, who was minister of trade and industry in the first Christie administration, said insurance companies are holding the government hostage by threatening to fire up to 1,000 Bahamians if the government moves forward with NHI.
He said he is worried Prime Minister Perry Christie will “bend to the will” of the insurance industry to save Bahamian jobs, even though “it is not in the best interest of the Bahamian people.”
“Insurance companies could care less about the average Bahamian, they are only concerned about their bottom line and now they are threatening the government with this scam about laying people off,” Mr Miller said when contacted for comment.
“I really don’t understand why the government continues to talk to them. It’s nothing but a gimmick, it concerns me that the government is falling for this gimmick and bending to these threats.
“I don’t see this happening in January, if Mr Christie continues to talk with them NHI will never happen during Mr Christie’s term in office. They will continue to threaten the government until they get what they want and what they want is not in the best interest of the Bahamian people, only a fool would believe they care at all about Bahamians.”
On Monday, a high level stakeholder in the health insurance industry told The Tribune that the jobs of as many as 1,000 people would be in jeopardy if the Christie administration moves ahead with NHI without incorporating the BIA’s recommendations.
The source spoke to The Tribune on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to discuss sensitive internal talks with the media at a time when stakeholders are discussing contingency plans in case the government moves forward with its own ideas.
In November, BIA unveiled its own alternative to the proposed NHI plan, arguing that requiring all legal residents to have insurance will be “less disruptive” to the economy.
The BIA said its proposal, which has been submitted to the Christie administration, would achieve the same universal healthcare objectives as NHI by the provision of government subsidies to ensure those who cannot afford private health insurance are able to do so.
At the time, Mr Komolafe, said the industry’s proposal would preserve consumer choice, and could be implemented “more quickly and seamlessly” than the government’s proposed NHI scheme.
Comments
banker 9 years ago
This is the guy who wanted to sell our oil sovereignty to Venezuela with the Petro Caribe deal. He was going all over town, trying to convince his own government to sell ourselves to the corrupt nutcase Chavez. Chavez is gone. Petro Caribe is now in ashes as well as Venezuela. Potcake een know nuttin' 'bout how tings work in the world. Even his bowling alley missed the mark. I had the dubious honour of reading the business case for the original revenue projections from Marios, and by this time in those projections, Potcake would be a gazzillionaire from the revenues. Not the case. He survives by hold government groups and church groups get-togethers at the bowling alley over which he has influence and sway.
He said the same things about the oil companies back then, as he is saying about insurance companies now.
GrassRoot 9 years ago
I like that Miller plays the Bahamian card. I agree send all foreigners back to where they came from. Chances are Miller's ancestors came from Ghana, so let him run the local utility there.
Honestman 9 years ago
I would like to know why the Tribune contacted Leslie Miller for comment? The man is incapable of adding anything intelligent to the debate. His personal attack on the BIA Chairman shows Miller up for what he is. This government is getting desperate now. It knows that its NHI scheme, as currently envisaged, is completely unsustainable. In its lust to remain in power the PLP is prepared to destroy the private health industry and compel hard working Bahamians to switch to a grossly inferior health product. Trust me, it will be inferior because the demand surge has not been properly factored into the equation nor has the exodus of skilled Bahamian doctors who will take nothing to do with NHI.
sheeprunner12 9 years ago
There are times when the Potcake's streetspeak is entertaining .......... in this case, it is distasteful ............... as a parliamentarian, he should conduct himself with a bit more class
TalRussell 9 years ago
While I might somewhat disagree with the Comrade "Pot cake" Leslie on the foreigner interference thing, I should remind him his PLP cabinet colleagues bypassed locals to engage foreigner consults to advise them on Universal Health Care.
But I also need remind the outspoken Komolafe that under the present ways his insurance members does control private health insurance, it certainly worth looking into that according to their own industry's statistics - there is a good chance many you's Bahamalanders reading Comrade Tal's blog, is going be dead just shy you's 75th birthdays - if his insurance boys are allowed keep on charging for insurance like they does now.
I have an alternative to Universal Health Care that PM Christie can quickly pass legislation for but while it will make the insurance boys smile all way bank - it sure as hell won't bring smiles over at that other red bastion of red shirts uncontrolled profits ideology member group - Bahamas Chamber Commerce.
Reality_Check 9 years ago
The Tribune seems to be worried about all of the advertising dollars it will lose out on when the health insurers are taken out of the picture by a universal single payer healthcare system that will provide affordable quality healthcare to all Bahamians. Some healthcare is better than no healthcare which has been the case for most Bahamians for many years now as a result of the outrageously high premiums charged by the health insurance companies. Right now, only the well-off are being insured by the private healthcare insurers, leaving the poor to suffer the horrid consequences of no healthcare or poor quality healthcare as a result of the significant portion of healthcare insurance premiums siphoned off by the healthcare insurers to pay their lavish administrative costs and generate overly generous profits for their shareholders.
TalRussell 9 years ago
Congratulations Reaity_Check for having the wisdom to step forward to remove your red party's petty politics out Universal Health Insurance.
Tell the "Doctor, Doctor Is In Da House" how ashamed you are of his defense insurance boys.
Put your glass milk and cookies out on Christmas Eve cause Jesus going bless your honest red heart with nice presents from Santa.
Merry Christmas Comrade Realty_Check!
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