Democratic Alliance Responds to Health Plan
The Bermuda Democratic Alliance has responded to the proposed National Health Plan, with MP Shawn Crockwell asking a number of questions.
Yesterday Health Minister Zane DeSilva unveiled the Plan, which would provide universal access to basic health coverage for all residents, including hospitalization, as well and primary care and prevention. You can read the plan in full here.
Mr Crockwell’s full statement is below:
We recognize the need for a national health plan in our current climate of spiraling health care costs and to address the fact that there are many individuals currently falling through the cracks when it comes to health care provision. We welcome the attempts by the Government to address this very important social dilemma.
We look forward to reading the plan in detail and in particular we will seek clarification as to how point three of the plan will be realized in terms of ability to pay.
We are concerned with the lack of time that we have to analyze such an important national initiative before it is debated in Parliament. It is our understanding that this plan is scheduled to be debated in the House of Assembly on Friday.
Without the opportunity to fully review the plan the following are questions that immediately come to mind: Are we looking towards a more socialized plan for health care in Bermuda? What are the anticipated costs in providing the basic level of health coverage anticipated? Will this be sustainable? How will the universal access to basic coverage work with the current private health insurance plans in existence? Will individuals have potentially two levels of cover according to their ability to afford additional insurance? How does this plan envisage enacting controls, for example, with respect to costs of overseas health care? Will there be greater restrictions on access?
It is without doubt that our health care system is in need of reform but we must ensure that the reform we ultimately implement is well thought through and will benefit not only Bermudians today but future generations to come.
How can you possibly have a meaningful parliamentary debate on a topic as big as this (and potentially costly) with only a few days notice?
Overall, I am happy with my health insurance I found through wise health insurance network. It is not perfect, but in today’s world what is? The health insurance plan has worked quite well for me and my family.
What Zane Desilva wants to do is redistribute wealth from white people, who he hates, to black people. That’s what this is. He’s buying votes for the next election. Nothing more.
I see why you call yourself crazytalk,or better still psychotalk. From your comments,it sounds like you need to be the first recipient of this health reform.
There maybe a bed just for you at MAWI. It appears from your thinking, the minister must hate his wife and children too, since they are white,in fact from his pictures,he looks white to me
Furthermore how can robbing people ‘who can best afford to pay’ (when everyone get’s sick at some time regardless of race ,sex or wealth) help keep healthcare costs down or make healthcare more affordable ? ?
That will only happen when the actual service providers (doctors , hospital workers , pharmicists/prescriptions etc) are regulated ! duuuh
It’s like giving a housing allowance to someone poor and thinking their rent will actually go down.