Eligible citizens and legal residents of The Bahamas will have access to a full range of benefits needed to restore and maintain optimum health under the proposed National Health Insurance Plan.
These include access to all primary care services when presenting to a registered primary care provider; primary care prescription drugs (diabetes, hypertension and asthma) when the recognized physician says they are needed; laboratory tests, ultrasounds, X-rays and other primary care diagnostic services; health education and prevention services and selected catastrophic services that address the most burdensome diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Other benefits include coverage for any pre-existing conditions. This coverage will continue throughout one’s lifetime. There will be no financial limit on the total cost of healthcare services one can receive. Eligible persons must present their NIB Smart Card when they present for care as Providers may ask for full pay from the client without the card.
Another key benefit of the Plan is the ability to receive care from public as well as private sector doctors, pharmacies and laboratories that are registered NHI Providers.
“Many persons assume that they will be required to go to public sector facilities only for care in NHI. Let me say very clearly that this is not so,” Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Michael Perry Gomez said. “Indeed, the ability to access healthcare services in both public and private sectors is one of the key features of the NHI Plan.”
Dr. Gomez said Bahamians enrolled in the NHI Plan, will be allowed to keep a complimentary, private health insurance plan to give them access to those services not provided by NHI.
“Some persons who are fortunate enough to have private health insurance are worried about what will happen to their policies when NHI is introduced. I want to reassure them that NHI does not mean that you will have to give up your private insurance benefits. What is does, instead, is give you an opportunity to re-negotiate your private plans so that you are able to only pay for the services not currently included under NHI.
“This may not only reduce the cost of your plans, but may allow a greater number of Bahamians access to private health insurance at lower rates.”
Dr. Gomez said implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through the National Health Insurance Plan would be the most significant social initiative to be introduced in The Bahamas over the past 30 years.
“Currently, there are thousands of low, middle and even lower-upper income Bahamians who do not have access to private health insurance because their economic, age, or health status does not allow them access. Without that financial protection of insurance, they are only able to access services in the public sector.
“After the introduction of NHI, they will be able to access services in whichever sector they choose.”
Dr. Gomez said “opening up access” to private, primary healthcare facilities to Bahamians previously unable to afford those services will have a positive, domino affect on Bahamians and the healthcare sector.
“By opening up access to private, primary care facilities to Bahamians previously unable to afford their services, we will be able to reduce wait times in our over-burdened pubic clinics – allowing a working mother the opportunity to take less time off work and access care for their sick child when they need it (and) not waiting until late at night and accessing care through the more expensive emergency room,” Dr. Gomez said as an example.
Dr. Gomez said another of the expected benefits as a result of NHI is an increase in potential revenues for private providers due to the expansion in the number of persons who will be able to access healthcare services from those private providers, while at the same time helping to reduce the strain on the public sector facilities.
He said the initial focus of NHI will be on the provision of primary care services to the entire population utilizing both the public and private providers.
“Our strategy for implementation has been set in line with the population’s needs, our financial realities, and careful measure of our implementation capacity. While in a theoretical world we would begin to offer the entire range of health services from day one, we are cognizant that – for a range of reasons – from practical ones based on infrastructure and human resource limitations to financial ones, that is not feasible.
“Instead, our initial focus is on provision of primary care services to the entire population, utilizing both public and private providers and provision of certain financially catastrophic services which most impact the burden of disease.
“In due time, we will introduce a full range of benefits that ensure all Bahamians have access to the healthcare services they need to restore and maintain their health,” Dr. Gomez added.
By Matt Maura
Bahamas Information Services
