The Tribune

By NATARIO McKENZIE

Tribune Business Reporter

nmckenzie@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Perry Christie yesterday challenged the insurance industry to explain their opposition to National Health Insurance’s (NHI) public insurer.

Speaking with reporters following his presentation at the 25th annual Bahamas Business Outlook conference, Mr Christie said: “The insurance companies have to come to me and tell me why.

“That is a default position. If a private insurer does not insure you, and you have to have insurance, then in default, the default insurer picks it up. It is not intended to impact jobs.”

He added: “Other countries have done this. I know people fight for their positions, they fight against change, they are suspicious about people and, sometimes, when there is emotional language used, that language is misinterpreted and misapplied as government policy, which it is not.

“Again, I am saying that if people have a different view, and they feel that view is not being heard by the people they are talking to, who are either colleagues of mine or people employed by us as consultants, then they have the court of appeal. I’m the president of the court of appeal.

“Why should we in the Bahamas be fighting over stupid things without at least saying we are giving ourselves the opportunity to put those on the table and address the opportunities. I find it absolutely nonsensical.”

The Bahamas Insurance Association (BIA) has previously argued that the Government should not waste taxpayer funds establishing a public insurer, branding such a move as “unnecessary and expensive”.

Mr Christie reiterated his willingness to continue meeting with healthcare industry representatives, adding: “We are going to seek further advice on the matter from people whose life and expertise has been in insurance, and in health insurance.

“I’m going to meet with the doctors and anyone who advises me they want access, too. I want to ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to feed into the policy, to cause the policy to be finessed, but you are not going to be speaking to me from Mount Olympus, so to speak, The Tribune and The Guardian, and make that into consultation. If you say that people are not consulting you fairly, and you have met with the Prime Minister, meet with him again and say it. “

Mr Christie added: “National Health Insurance is a process. It took South Africa 10 years to roll it out. You roll it out in phases, and so you start with people being enrolled and educating people on what it is going to be. It takes six months, two years to introduce the benefits package, the package that will give you coverage against catastrophic illnesses.

“When I met with the specialists and the doctors they raised the matter of what happens when we see these people at the primary level, and we diagnose them with having some major illness, how do we deal with that? So we created a fund.

“The fund is a temporary placement of monies to cover the period it would take to evolve the National Insurance programme to the point where the benefits package is being offered and clearly defined. This fund is an emergency fund that will be related to the diagnosis of the specialist, who will be able to go into that fund to cover the cost of whatever their treatment is.”

As to the ‘catastrophic fund’s’ financing, Mr Christie said: “I think they were talking about $24-$25 million in this period. We have a period that goes into the next Budget, and it’s a question of when we reach the point that primary care is introduced and people are able to go to the doctors.

“It would be wrong, given the commitment of my Government, to talk about delay and postponement, especially where we are going through a situation where we have to register people and then ultimately enroll them.

“Therefore, what we must now do with the different sides of the industry is talk with the view to constructive discussion. There are many doctors who have had wonderful discussions,” the Prime Minister added.

“In Grand Bahama,s I am told they had a set of wonderful discussion that counters what has happened here. We have to bring it all together to ensure that everyone understands. My history is consensus. That is giving you an opportunity to demonstrate to me what you say is the right course of action, and that is our position.”