Illegal immigrants will be barred from enrolling in the proposed National Health Insurance scheme, Manager of the Implementation Project Stanley Lalta confirmed to the Bahama Journal yesterday.
The development is contrary to what the architects and proponents of the plan had been advocating.
“The change came under legal advisement,” said Dr. Lalta. “There are two things that have to be separated because an illegal immigrant cannot be a member of the NHI, so we will not cover his or her services.”
He explained, however, that in an emergency situation, there is an obligation to provide treatment.
“If an illegal immigrant has a medical emergency, for instance gets knocked down in the road and shows up for treatment in the public health care system, there is an obligation to treat that person-At the end the person is required to pay but if the person cannot pay then the Ministry of Social Services or probably the hospital itself would have to bear that cost-and that is so with tourists also,” he added.
Officials disclosed the pivotal change regarding illegal immigrants in a full-page advertisement that ran in The Bahama Journal yesterday as National Health Insurance proponents launched their public education campaign in the print media, extolling the virtues of the plan.
“Tourists, non-residents and illegal immigrants will not be enrolled,” the notice said. “When these individuals need health services, they will be required to pay for the cost of that care at the point of service.”
Officials pointed out that health care is not free and that the proposed scheme is designed to encourage personal responsibility by sharing the cost of that care.
Dr. Perry Gomez, the project director for the health insurance scheme, told a group of religious leaders earlier this year that the Blue Ribbon Commission that made suggestions about the plan had recommended that illegal immigrants be invited to join.
He too said it was important because in so doing The Bahamas would protect everyone’s health and wellbeing given the kinds of illnesses that occur in refugees.
“Diseases from refugee populations always tend to be infectious diseases and so it’s in the country’s interest to take care of illegal immigrants,” he said.
Even the Minister of Health Senator Dr. Marcus Bethel said it is the duty of the country to afford illegal immigrants proper coverage despite the challenge and strain that they impose on the health care system.
Yesterday’s full page notice said the NHI plan will actually be universal with membership open to all legal residents of The Bahamas regardless of age, income, or health status.
The plan is designed to have three groups of contributors; workers, employers and the self employed who will be required to pay 5.3 percent of wages in total. Pensioners will have to contribute one dollar per day and the government will be responsible for a 50 percent contribution for its employees.
The NHI scheme, promised by the Progressive Liberal Party just before it took control of the government in May 2002, has drawn widespread criticisms from various quarters of the community including public and private doctors.
However, proponents have vehemently defended the proposal that would cost $235 million a year to sustain.
There is no set date for the plan’s implementation.
Key steps must be followed inclusive of consultations with stakeholders and the public and preparation and passage of the relevant legislation. Additionally, officials have conceded that services being provided by the existing public health centres and hospitals must be improved.
In the Speech From The Throne that was delivered on Wednesday that sets out the government’s legislative agenda, the government maintained that a fully functioning sustainable system of National Health Insurance is necessary.
The government made a commitment to conduct extensive public consultations and referred once again to the fact that an independent review of the costing will be undertaken.
By: Tameka Lundy, The Bahama Journal
