The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

The Bahamas Insurance Association’s (BIA) chairman says National Health Insurance (NHI) discussions with the Government are moving “in the right direction”, although different estimates on the scheme’s costs remain “a main sticking point”.

Emmanuel Komolafe, speaking after the BIA’s second meeting on Friday with the Prime Minister and various Cabinet ministers on the NHI scheme, said the industry was promised that it would receive the costing report conducted by the PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) accounting firm.

“This seems like a step in the right direction,” Mr Komolafe said, when contacted by Tribune Business. “The starting point in this conversation must always be that all stakeholders including the BIA support universal health coverage in principle.

“The areas of contention and disparity in opinions vis-à-vis how universal health care is implemented will need to be addressed in a forum that fosters constructive discussions supported by facts and credible figures, as well as genuine consideration of ideas and alternative proposals.

“At the end of the day, concessions and sacrifices will have to be made by all stakeholders if we are to make progress in advancing this vital initiative. We recognise the inevitability of change and our focus is to ensure that there is minimal disruption to the industry and the larger economy with the implementation of NHI in the Bahamas.”

Mr Komolafe said the “main sticking point” was the “differences in the cost estimates” for NHI

between the BIA and Sanigest Internacional, the Costa Rican-based consultants who devised the plan.

The BIA recently estimated that NHI would cost $947.3 million, not the $400 million that the Ministry of Health and Sanigest were suggesting. The latter hit back by accusing the insurance industry of “comparing apples and oranges”, adding that its estimates were for the Vital Benefits Package - not the expanded package that the BIA had used.

Mr Komolafe suggested that better information sharing between all parties would overcome these disparities, and help to narrow down NHI’s likely true costs.

He added that the Prime Minister had pledged greater transparency and a desire to bring all parties together to develop NHI. A new governance structure, involving an NHI co-ordinator and Task Force reporting to a Cabinet subcommittee chaired by Mr Christie, is overseeing the initiative.

“The BIA remains committed to working with the Government to achieve universal health coverage in the Bahamas,” Mr Komolafe said, “and we remain hopeful that the new structure instituted will bring about the meaningful consultation that the BIA has been advocating for, and which the PM envisages. We were assured that discussions with the new coordinator and all stakeholders will be ongoing and meaningful.”

Mr Komolafe said the BIA had made a formal request for the report prepared by PwC, following its review of the Sanigest report and the BIA’s position paper.

He added that the Prime Minister promised to provide the BIA with a copy of the PwC report, while in return requesting that information on the industry’s own studies by provided to the NHI implementation team.

Apart from Mr Komolafe, the industry delegation included Felicia Knowles, president of the Bahamas Insurance Brokers Association (BIBA); Lyrone Burrows, deputy BIA chairman and president of Family Guardian Insurance; Tina Cambridge, regional director of Generali Worldwide; Emanuel Alexiou, executive vice-chairman of Colina Insurance; and Annastasia Francis, director of operations at Atlantic Medical Insurance.