The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Dr Hubert Minnis said yesterday the two percent salary contribution proposed by the National Health Insurance Authority to fund its health insurance scheme is not set in stone.

Dr Minnis sought to ease public anxiety over the NHIA’s proposal, telling The Tribune he didn’t want the public or the press to spread false information that the government had agreed to a tax increase.

He said the authority had not yet presented a final report for Cabinet approval, adding there will be further public consultation after ministerial review.

“The NHI committee is doing their investigation and putting together their report,” he said.

“We have not received any final report nor has the government agreed to any increase in taxes. We have not received any report and therefore we await the report by the NHI committee, who is doing ongoing investigation and planning and reporting.”

Dr Minnis added: “As soon as we receive the report, we will discus the report at Cabinet level first. After which we will consult and discuss with relevant medical fraternities and different segments of the public before any decision is made, before moving such a report forward.

“I don’t want the public nor the press to spread any misnomer or news that the government has agreed to any tax increase for NHI.”

The contributory scheme, announced by the NHIA on Tuesday, proposed that the salaries of every employed Bahamian will be subject to a deduction of about two percent each month as a means to pay for universal healthcare coverage for all, including children, elderly, and the unemployed.

Dr Robin Roberts, NHIA chairman, had earlier explained that those already subscribing to private insurers will not make any extra contributions but it would mean two percent of payments to these insurers would go into the universal healthcare pool.

A 45-day public consultation with stakeholders started this week.

Official Opposition Leader Philip Davis called the proposed tax regressive, and said it should have been considered in concert with the VAT hike to 12 percent.

The NHI policy paper released this week outlined several timelines: including April to July 2019 for the launch of the standard health benefit and NHI expanded coverage; July 2019 for a sugary drink tax and national wellness programme; a January 2020 launch of the employer mandate/two per cent deductions for businesses with 100 or more employees; and January 2021 employer mandate expansion for all employers and deadline for all grandfathered private insurance plans.

Health Minister Dr Duane Sands has flagged the ongoing funding crisis affecting the country’s healthcare industry for several months, most recently challenges at the Princess Margaret Hospital’s Dialysis Unit.

When questioned yesterday about the need for funding in the public health sector, Dr Minnis said: “First and foremost we want to improve the health facilities, ensure adequate manpower, that the facility is functioning properly and with adequate equipment. These are priority items, improving patient care, quality of care and the environment in which patients are cared for.”