Prime Minister Perry Christie
By NICO SCAVELLA
Tribune Staff Reporter
nscavella@tribunemedia.net
PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday defended the government’s proposal to implement its proposed National Health Insurance scheme and lashed out at “rich doctors” and politicians who have the money to afford private healthcare.
Mr Christie said while health insurance for politicians is “provided by the state”, there are people in this country who die every day because they “cannot afford to buy their own health insurance”.
Mr Christie’s comments came after two prominent doctors within the Free National Movement, former deputy chairman Dr Duane Sands and Opposition Leader Dr Hubert Minnis, both suggested that the move to implement a new tax or taxes to fund NHI, coupled with the government’s previous implementation of value added tax, would further cripple the poor and middle class.
Costa Rican accounting firm Sanigest Internacional provided a report to the government last October on the feasibility of NHI and presented options for financing universal healthcare.
According to the report, of which The Tribune has obtained a copy, the consultants have suggested a payroll tax ranging from one per cent to five per cent to finance NHI.
The report explores various other revenue-raising options including levying a “sin tax” on alcohol and tobacco that would, the report estimates, yield some $64.93 million in NHI revenues in 2016, an estimate the report concedes is at the high end. This yield, Sanigest forecasts, will increase to $68 million in 2017 and $71.276 million in 2018, with the increases driven by economic growth.
Another option identified is a tax on auto insurance premiums.
According to the report, NHI could cost $633 million if implemented as a comprehensive package.
Speaking on the issue at the British Colonial Hilton yesterday morning, however, Mr Christie said: “The state must always realise there are people in our country who . . .cannot afford to buy their own health insurance. And for politicians to know, their health insurance is contributed to by the state. And for rich doctors to know, they could buy it. But every day people die because they can’t afford it. And we have the nicety of public debates over what should we do and what price do we afford the human life.”
He added: “Why should I not recognise that right in my own home – I have a son who is disabled – and that there are people in our country, every morning they wake up they do not know what to do with their child or children who are affected similarly. And that the country has not reached the point where it is afforded to them the privileges and benefits that I could pay for my child.”
Mr Christie spoke at the opening of an International Labour Organisation conference.
On Monday, Dr Minnis told The Tribune that while he agreed with NHI and believes that every Bahamian should have access to healthcare, the way the government is going about it would give the Bahamian people “hell”.
He said if the government implements another tax on top of VAT it would “cripple the middle class and kill the poor”. He further said a payroll tax should not even be considered when the impact of VAT has still not yet been fully calculated.
Dr Sands, a former FNM senator, said imposing a new NHI tax on Bahamian people already overburdened with VAT would essentially leave many of them broke.
He said Bahamians “don’t have anything left to give.” The move, he said, would essentially strip Bahamians of their disposable income.
“What else do you want from us, blood?” he asked.
Last Monday, Health Minister Dr Perry Gomez told the House of Assembly that NHI “will likely” be financed through a new tax on Bahamians. At the time he did not specify what this new tax would be, nor did he say how much it would cost taxpayers to introduce the plan.
He added that a new tax would be “better than death”.
Comments
Sickened 9 years, 10 months ago
OMG Christie has lost his mind. Look at paragraph 2. "there are people in this country who die every day because they “cannot afford to buy their own health insurance". He is putting down the very government hospital which his government is responsible for and has spent millions to upgrade.
ThisIsOurs 9 years, 10 months ago
PM's defence record: Ishmael Lightbourne, Sean McWeeney, BOB, "carnival", BAMSI, mortgage relief. I put very little faith in the proper implementation of anything based on the PM's support.
B_I_D___ 9 years, 10 months ago
Selection of Renew Bahamas to fix the dump...
Well_mudda_take_sic 9 years, 10 months ago
And don't forget that Christie was responsible for that other tax dodger Lady Poodling being appointed Governor-General. By the way, Sanigest Internacional is an agency (hitman) of the U.S. government controlled IMF charged with the financial destabilization of countries in our region of the world. The structural adjustments to our economy as proposed by the IMF and others like Sanigest Internacional are designed to drive down the prices of our national assets/resources so that they can be acquired at bargain basement prices by foreign interests.
themessenger 9 years, 10 months ago
Does he also mean that if this bill is passed that we the taxpayers will no longer have pay for the medical insurance for parliamentarians any longer, as is the current practice, and that he and they will have to stand in line at PMH like the rest of us poor fools? When I see that happen I just might be persuaded to buy into NHI.
B_I_D___ 9 years, 10 months ago
HA...yeah right!!
asiseeit 9 years, 10 months ago
The problem people have is not the concept of NHI, it is with government wasting, mismanaging, and stealing the resources that would be meant for NHI. If government was to tackle corruption in a meaningful way people would be happy to get on board. How it is now only a complete fool would trust our government with their money. The fact that they are SO sketchy and never able to do ONE project without major questions arising tell the whole tale. Why should we trust them when they have proven themselves to be UNTRUSTWORTHY. I wonder if any M.P. would trust the future of their family's well being to government, I most certainly would NOT.
afficianado 9 years, 10 months ago
no vision or foresight!! He needs to implement a national lottery and have that subsidize the NHI as per the argument with Dr. Rollins. And how does an additional tax help the middle class or those below the poverty line when you still have to "tow" the line due to the illegal Haitians in the clinics.
proudloudandfnm 9 years, 10 months ago
Can someone please sit Perry down and let him know he's still the most failed PM in our history....
Tell him to ease up off the I did it truck. He aint did shit except make it harder to live in this country.
Islandgirl 9 years, 10 months ago
Wish I could click like on this one million times. Get gone, christie!
SP 9 years, 10 months ago
Please do not refer to PAPA Haitian as "big fat failure" ...... "The Little Emperor" or "Little Fat Failure" is cool.
asiseeit 9 years, 10 months ago
P.M. also saying he has the resources to provide for his disabled son. HAS HE DECLARED EXACTLY WHAT THOSE RESOURCES ARE AS HE IS REQUIRED TO DO BY LAW? March 1st. was the deadline.
realfreethinker 9 years, 10 months ago
It is still obvious that Perry is still suffering from that stroke he had. There is no way a sane person acts like him.
thomas 9 years, 10 months ago
He declares he has amassed the money to care for his son but 'rich doctors' should just shut up and be taxed.
EasternGate 9 years, 10 months ago
Perry knows exactly who he is appealing too. The Ill-mannered; ill socialized; intentionally unemployed; single mothers with 8 illegitimate children; the never made positive contributions to our society crew, who make up about forty-percent of our population
asiseeit 9 years, 10 months ago
That 40% are the same fools that voted for him. There IS a reason the politicians and the clergy have NO desire to educate and unshackle these people. Who but a fool would keep electing the same twits time and time again. Go to the P.M's area and take a look, many do not have running water much less a toilet. Those poor people have been swung for 30 odd years and they STILL do not understand how hard. Maybe the P.M. should take some of those resources and help the people he owes his prosperity to. A t-shirt and a couple dollars, maybe a fridge, or for someone like the loudmouth on radio a truck (from our money), and the P.M. has lived like a king. DISGUSTING!
thomas 9 years, 10 months ago
Throw the 'rich doctors' under the bus.
sansoucireader 9 years, 10 months ago
Along with the 'rich lawyers' who are driving this country into the ground!
Islandgirl 9 years, 10 months ago
Those 'rich doctors' put in a lot of time, sacrifice, and youth to develop their skills. Why shouldn't they be appropriately compensated for it? If these thugs force NHI and drive down the doctors' hard earned income, is this government willing to compensate them for the large amounts of money spent on the doctors' education? Provide them with FREE, QUALITY legal services (because God knows the fees charged by the lawyers in this country are outrageous and the services shoddy and disgraceful for the most part)? Compensate them for all the income lost? Provide them with the type of lifestyle they have earned through their skill and chosen profession? You have created new income for accountants and lawyers with VAT but are determined to decimate private health care and private health insurance? You NEED doctors to carry out the health care you damn dummy. Fix the public health care system. Remove all taxes on the HEALTHY foods to make it affordable for everyone to buy. Make it MANDATORY for these single, unemployed, unskilled and uneducated breeders to be placed on birth control and stop the unfettered production of more dependents on what is increasingly becoming a socialist state you buffoon. Retirement age is sixty-five, and in the public service, after serving at least thirty years. You meet both christie, and you are doing no one any favours trying to establish your 'legacy'. This is already assured. You are an abject failure. You have been successful at nothing other than the shuffle and fooling the gullible of the land. You are THE WORSE thing that has EVER happened to this country. Your legacy is in the destruction of paradise. Under you, we truly became 'Paradise Lost.'
ohdrap4 9 years, 10 months ago
the argument will be based on:
ad hominem- 'rich doctors' blackmail- "your precious relative died of a heart attack" ad baculum- "tax is better than death" (sounds like Pay the tax or die to me"
this is all FALLACIOUS
banker 9 years, 10 months ago
Hope the health insurance is better than the BAMSI fire insurance.
TalRussell 9 years, 10 months ago
Comrades wasn't it we Bahamaland's doctors who blocked the without the financial means blind natives from being given free eye treatment from visiting Cuban Doctors? Of course private doctors would be against the introduction of a government National Insurance program. Good lord, the local veterinarians were up in arms against foreign doctors visiting the islands donating their services to perform neutering on balls we Pot cake dogs.
The_Oracle 9 years, 10 months ago
How conveniently he omits mention of those who "Choose" not to purchase private health insurance. Same as those who "choose" not to save any money at all. Basically he is saying the Government will value each citizens worth, decide how much health care you will get, Will make the decision they currently make through incompetence, neglect, but now will make it on purpose.
TalRussell 9 years, 10 months ago
Comrade if we are going to have a National Health Insurance Plan, it MUST be made universal across the affordability financial spectrum. I would never support a means test. Every day our courts run on a who can best afford the most justice system and we damn sure don't want it spreading to the people's health insurance. One day you can and your family can be at the top of the income world, only to fall to the bottom and pretty damn quickly. Let's not cheapen what is good for all citizens and also for all legally in our country.
birdiestrachan 9 years, 10 months ago
With NHI I trust the service will be better, the hospitals are in need of more beds in Nassau and Grand Bahama. and Bahamians will do well to avoid High blood pressure and diabetics.
asiseeit 9 years, 10 months ago
Better service will happen the day you vote FNM Birdie, so do not get your hopes to high. National Health Insurance will probably be as good as the Insurance for the dorm at BAMSI.
Economist 9 years, 10 months ago
Over the years there have been many foreign doctors who wanted to set up facilities for medical tourists. Their investment in state of the art equipment on various islands would have provided much to us all. But instead we have decided that the man in the street must pay for it with NHI.
Instead of a Corporate Income tax, on earnings over 5 million, which would have caught our large foreign investors who could have paid the tax here, instead of their home country, we have Vat.
Emmm, seems to be a trend....Keep Bahamians Poor!
DEDDIE 9 years, 10 months ago
I don't support the PLP on much but I support NHI. At one juncture I was able to afford private health insurance for my family and I. Today, it is out of reach. The sooner it is implemented the better. I was part of a group plan and every year we played musical chairs with insurance companys. Even a bad health insurance plan is better than no plan.
Stapedius 9 years, 10 months ago
The income of the physician has nothing to do with this. So why bring it up? We simply need to address some fundamental questions. Do we need some form of health safety net? I would say yes. Second. In what form should it take? Third. How is it to be funded and managed? Simple questions that politicians need to answer. We keep allowing both sides to run on with politics. Answer the tough questions and find solutions is what you're paid to do.
SP 9 years, 10 months ago
Please.......Your killing me.
SP 9 years, 10 months ago
..... Perry Christie's Main Goal Is To Relieve Government Of The Cost Of Healthcare ....
Every one of you geniuses missed the real point of PGC's mad dash to NHI.
Perry Christie couldn't give two pinches of puppy poop about helping Bahamians with health care.
His main objective is to stop the financial hemorrhage on governments purse for the cost of the present socialized medical system.
Just imagine the huge immediate savings that would be realized If government divest itself from providing free and or subsidized health care, with the added bonus of $Millions in new cash flow to play around with!
Haitians will as always find a way around the new NHI system, while average Bahamians continue paying for their health care, and government will be completely off the hook.
Stapedius 9 years, 10 months ago
There is no point to be missed here. All we ask is for the bul#$t to stop in our parliament. Nothing more nothing less. No deep thought or analysis necessary. Simply look at things that require fixing and address the problem.
SP 9 years, 10 months ago
After 40+ years of non-stop shenanigans, you really expect for the bul#$t to stop in our parliament just by the asking?
The practice of bul#$t (as you put it) has been highly perfected and is so deeply ingrained in our parliament that politicians actually no longer have any clue of reality.
bul#$t will continue until "We The People" get off our cowardly backsides, physically march on parliament in mass and demand the scoundrels get the hell out.
That's the only way it is done anywhere in world, and the only way it can be done here.
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