Eighty percent of Bahamians believe that the country needs National Health Insurance (NHI), according to the results of recent surveys from polling and marketing research firm Public Domain.
The news comes shortly after the government delayed the launch of the primary care services phase of NHI, which was set to begin this month.
"Country-wide public opinion surveys have demonstrated the need for access to healthcare in The Bahamas, with nearly eight out of 10 (79 percent) Bahamians believing that The Bahamas needs National Health Insurance," a release from Public Domain said last night.
"One out of three (32 percent) Bahamians without health insurance say they have at some point needed medical treatment but not sought it because they were worried about the cost."
Public Domain said while respondents were more or less split (57 percent) on whether NHI will address the major problems the healthcare system currently faces, 71 percent still believe it is an important piece of improving the healthcare system in The Bahamas.
Public Domain said the data was collected over two polls, one conducted in November through December last year, and another in February and March of this year.
The surveys revealed that Bahamians without insurance (estimated at 75 percent) are less likely than those with insurance (84 percent) to have visited a medical professional in the past year.
Public Domain said that on average, uninsured Bahamians say they spend individually $816 per year on medical expenses.
Those with insurance say they spend an average of $576 on medical expenses, including their health insurance premiums.
The surveys also found that 44 percent of those surveyed have attended a cookout or given to a fundraiser for someone they know to help cover medical expenses.
Regarding preventative care, Public Domain said it is far more accessible to those with insurance as 66 percent of insured respondents received an annual physical last year, compared with just 39 percent of uninsured respondents.
Public Domain also found that public awareness of NHI has risen dramatically since the NHI Secretariat and the National Insurance Board (NIB) launched a public relations campaign in January.
The firm said that 87 percent of polled Bahamians have heard of NHI Bahamas.
"In December, before promotional activities really started, 45 percent of the population could not describe anything about what NHI is," Public Domain said.
"In the February/March poll, that number dropped to 20 percent.
"Research also shows that people still haven't registered for their NIB Smart Card.
Public Domain added that 54 percent of those "who are not registered know that they need a NIB Smart Card to register but only 39 percent of those same people actually have a NIB Smart Card".
The firm also said that only one in three Bahamians are aware that town hall meetings on NHI Bahamas are occurring.
Public Domain said the first poll was conducted from November 25 to December 5, 2015, with a sample size of 1,003 participants, and two percent margin of error.
The second poll, according to Public Domain was conducted from February 22 through March 6, 2016, with a sample size of 255 participants and a margin of error of 6.3 percent.
"It is important to note that these were opinion polls, and results reflect answers given by a randomly selected portion of the population according to industry best practices," Public Domain said.
Juan McCartney
Guardian Broadcast Editor
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