Debate On GEHI Dental Coverage Continues
[Updated] Debate continues over dental insurance coverage for Government employees, with the OBA saying it appears coverage was suspended because the Government has failed to pay the premium, while the Government insists that coverage was not suspended.
The One Bermuda Alliance provided documents that appear to indicate that Government workers insurance coverage is “inactive”, with a note that the “customer must contact their employer.” The documents have the patient’s identity withheld, and are dated July 9th showing dozens of accounts listed as “inactive”.
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Last night Shadow Minister of Health Michael Dunkley said, “I have been informed today that Government is now taking steps to rectify this matter and this is good to learn.
“Government should also explain how this “Inactive“ status came about in the first place and what steps they are taking to make sure it does not happen again.”
Yesterday the Ministry of Finance released a statement saying that government employees insurance coverage has not been suspended nor cancelled,” and called any commentary to the contrary “regrettable and baseless”.
Update 12pm: John Wight, President & CEO of BF&M, made the following announcement this morning: “BF&M considers matters between our company and our clients to be confidential, and thus it is the company’s standard policy not to comment through the media on such matters.
“Having spoken with our client regarding the disinformation in the media, we would like to put to rest any concerns that Government Employees have about their dental insurance coverage. GEHI premiums are paid up to date, and all Government employees have been, and will continue to be, fully covered for dental treatment provided under the policy.”
SHAME ON YOU DUNKLEY and SHAME ON WHOEVER LEAKED PRIVATE INFORMATION TO THE PRESS.
The provider shoudl be suspended. What next, OBA are going to start leaking prescriptions to the press?
“Having spoken with our client regarding the disinformation in the media …”
Hey, umm umm Johnny, didn’t that “disinformation” come directly from your website?
Come on dude. You get the info from the horses mouth and you are still in denial??
I think Johnny’s words came out of the other end of the horse ‘Average’.
There it is in black & white. RG had the colour version with great big red letters :”Inactive – Customer must contact their Employer”
That’s insurance talk for “we’re so tired of chasing this deadbeat for payment, after 90 days of getting nowhere your policy is now suspended until the premiums have been brought up to date.” Which is apparently what Paula did by rushing a payment down to BF&M so that today she can say “premiums are [now] paid up to date”.
Of course Paula could be open and transparent and show exactly when each monthly premium was paid to BF&M. Think she’ll operate in the sunshine of public scrutiny?
Four hours and many comments later ….still not posted? Whats up Bernews?
Sorry…its a nightmare tech situation….comments are “reverting”….we are clearing them and then when we go back and look they are showing as not cleared! It’s a real pain, as we are stuck clearing them like 3 times a day and its ruining the flow of conversation. We are, as you may imagine, desperately seeking a technical fix.
What info from the horses mouth? Did you read the BF&M Statement?
Sure, Mr. wight will say on National TV that Premims were not paid. He saved himself and the Government policy.
Corr. Premiums were not paid.
Mr. Dunkley acted irresponsibly….if he really cared about the people and them having dental insurance he would have call the BPSU or the government…but we all know this was for political points the old fashion way….the UBP way….
Who knows whether this was an error on the side of BF&M perhaps maybe BF&M are behind in applying money to GEHI accounts. I dont know the answer but neither does Mr Dunkley. Maybe he should cover all other possibilities before causing unnessesary rucus.
John Wight, President & CEO of BF&M, made the following announcement this morning: “BF&M considers matters between our company and our clients to be confidential, and thus it is the
company’s standard policy not to comment through the media on such matters. Having spoken with our
client regarding the disinformation in the media, we would like to put to rest any concerns that
Government Employees have about their dental insurance coverage. GEHI premiums are paid up to
date, and all Government employees have been, and will continue to be, fully covered for dental
… treatment provided under the policy.”
I wonder if Senator Dunkley will offer an apology to the Government of Bermuda, BF&M Ltd., and those civil servants whom he was trying to intimidate.
I also wonder if he’ll look into the accounts of those MPs in the OBA who own businesses so that he can make sure that they’re paid up when it comes to insurance and pension payments. If he finds otherwise, will he run to the Royal Gazette with a story?
This latest incident shows that the OBA under the leadership of Michael Dunkley will stop at nothing in its effort to win the next election. It shows that Michael Dunkley is willing to damage the reputation of a good corporate citizen, BF&M.
I do hope that Mr. John Wight is doing a full investigation and that the employee(s) that leaked the information to Mr. Dunkley is punished to the fullest extent of the law. I am sure if one of Mr. Dunkley’s employees shared confidential information with the public s/he working relationship with Dunkley’s Dairy would be history.
So the BF&M web portal was erroneously showing suspended cover for Government employees?
it the principal to resolve this issue in a professional manner that is in question not the lack of health benefits coverage not showing in BF&M computer system.
Laverne when it comes to the PLP you have the darkest blinders on.
+1
Yes and President Clinton said that he did not sexual relations with Monica Lewinsky.
Of course the premiums are paid up to date…. Now…
Wouldn’t want anyone looking foolish now would we? Especially when it comes to policy / contract renewal time. I smell a bit of a$$ covering going on.
Did it occur to you that the premiums may have been brought up to date at 4.55pm yesterday? Mr Wight’s statement is rather vague (and rightly so).
And Mr Dunkley did not imply anything that cast BF&M in an unfavorable light. He merely questioned why employee coverage had been suspended on many accounts.
If LaVerne called 3 dentists as “LaVerne Furbert member of the public” and received 3 responses, those 3 dentists should be disbarred for breach of patient confidentialty and medical ethics.
Paid up now!
YUP!
Dunkley needs to apologize. And whoever leaked the info at BF&N needs to be held accountable.
Just call the election already, so tired of the party politics.
I have a relative who works in the dental industry, and it was true that civil servants’ dental coverage was suspended!!! If it isn’t now, it is because the govt wanted to save face and embarrassment and paid their bill. Minister Dunkley has every right to put the current govt on blast for not keeping up on bills, wouldn’t you if your employer was the cause of no dental/insurance coverage???
Your relative should be fired for even discussing it with you. Further, are you saying that BF&M is lying when they say that the premium is paid up to date and there were no issues with coverage? I hope to read your private medical coverage stuff online one day compliments of Mr. (not Minister)Dunkley. I hope you think its ok then. Idiot.
Fired for what??? It’ s not like names were discussed fool!! A simple yes or no question is all that was asked. And I am saying BF&M may be telling the truth now, but when the discovery first leaked, the accounts were inactive….and I hope to have eyesight such as yours one day, to actually read beyond the blacked out information is amazing; who’s your optometrist? FOOL
and it should have been handled internally not using company confidential document to settle a political score..The Senator was O.K to raise the question. he should have used his senate sitting to discuss this not Media.
Why not use this media ..? This is the peoples media ….its also called TRANSPARENCY….out in the open and not swept away behind CLOSED DOORS….. all you political redundants need to wake up to reality!
Watch the ZBM news if you missed it at 7. A red-faced, back-peddaling, flip flopping Dunkley appears as if by magic to say that he’s glad its all sorted now and that he took this action on behalf of the civil servants. All of a sudden, gone is the mention of government mismanagement. No more talk of late premium payments and another example of blah blah blah. NOW the insurer needs to explain how peoples status could be inactive if the premium was paid.
And in breaking news Cannonier issues a statement to say that there’s no need for Dunkley to apologize……I must have missed the one where someone asked for an apology. But better to get out ahead of this one because there are a lot of pissed off and amused people on this amateur attempt to embarrass the Government.
Be a man Dunks and admit it: I got it wrong. I spoke too soon. I shouldn’t have messed with peoples heads. And its pretty dumb to piss in John Wight’s pool…….cross BF&M off the list of potential election donors to the OBA.
BHC this is not. Next.
You tell him!
@Hmmmmm: I work in the insurance industry. Making a general statement like that would not justify someone being fired. However, even though their intentions may have been honourable, whoever leaked the printout should terminated-that information is supposed to be kept strictly confidential. They had better hope that BF&M doesn’t probe and find out who entered the inquiry system and drew down the report and printed it out. The date is right there on the report-I’m pretty sure an IT person can retrieve that kind of information…
There was a serious sistuaiton developing LaWerne so don’t shoot the messenger (Dunkley)! If this had been allowed to run it’s course whose to say what coverage they would have had a year from now if this went unchecked. But as usual the transparency is as opaque as a good fish chowder from BlackHorse and it’s all polotricks…NOT!!!
Pay attention people. Dunkley will use anything to score a point. Who knows what else his source shared with him from the private medical records of those people. When will he comment on how many times people go to the doctor or what medications they’re using? Its coming. This is so sickening. But get this, the Gazette has taken down this list on their site because you could read names and DOBs on there…… people should sue Dunkley and the Government should be shopping around for a new insurer. Today.
How do we even know that the names on this leaked document are still employed by the Government.
Shame Shame on dirty politricks
Because the statement says “Inactive – Customer must contact their employer”.
Why would it be showing that if these people were no longer employed by Government?
Use your common sense!
Another fire put out by the financially irresponsible PLP Government. That’s all they do; put out fires and reverse policy. No farward planning whatsoever. The PLP Government are so close to ‘the line,’ they can just about make payroll. Many small businesses who had small government contracts have still not been paid after months and months of waiting. It is serious.
Call the election already so we can put the PLP out of its misery.
The businesses who haven’t been paid is because of ‘system problems’, remember?
Wonder how long they’ll milk that excuse…
Mr Wight needs to explain the information in his company documents that are now in the public domain.
Inactive- Customer must contact their Employer.
Looks like a quick fix took place.
Mr wight, is only looking out for his own intrests….the truth is unfolding.
Premier panicing —calls Wight to bail her out —-he wants to keep the contract —issues an ambiguous press release — will deal with the contents of the company document later —-the sheeple cheer —-attack the messenger—Cox exhales—all is well, until the next payment is due.
Is Mr. Wight on a permit?
All these “concerns” keep Laverne busy!
There are several each week…….what a bunch of jokers!
“GEHI premiums are paid up to date, and all Government employees have been, and will continue to be, fully covered for dental treatment provided under the policy.”
how is this not clear “have been” “continue to be”
providing this document to public is illegal, and it violated the confidentiality between both client and BF&M and further calls BF&M business practices in question.
it does not matter what side you are supporting.
Now that the smoke is clearing it seems there was a break in the coverage after all.
Stay tuned.
No matter how Government tries to cut it, at some point the accounts were delinquent. First of all, the status wouldn’t say ‘inactive’ for no reason. No account would enter an inactive stage if the premioums were paid up to current.
Secondly, the Premier said something about ‘over a million’ dollars being transferred to BF&M in May. Even looking at the large amount of Governemnt employees, the arrears had to be pretty large if they needed to make such a large payment. The dental premiums are very small-much less than health insurance. Over a million could be anywhere from $1,000,001 to $1,999,999 so exactly how much was paid?
The dental premium is what-around ten bucks per person a week? Even if you take a flat one million and divide it between the number of Gov’t employees, that still works out to the hundreds of dollars per employee. The Gov’t would only be making payments to BF&M for dental because GEHI handles all the health insurance. A million dollar payment for dental is a really large sum of money, and looks to represent months worth of premium payments. The dental premiums were clearly in arrears. It’s scary that Gov’t can’t pay its bills. One day this whole mess of a deck of cards is going to come tumbling down big time…
Sorry about the typos…irritating when-even after proof-reading- one only spots them when the comment is posted!
Actually, to correct myself, ‘over a million’ could be $1,000,001 up to infinity!
This was always a personal matter between BF&M and its clients and Mr Dunkley had no business getting involved no matter who called him! It is not his job to be interperting information from their website that is their job and at a minimum he should have spoken with the company but of course they would NOT have discussed it with him. The most annoyning point is that he will stand his ground despite the fact that he was wrong!! This country has plenty of issues that need to be dealt with without the OBA looking to get into people’s personal business.
Keep it open!! Stay honest and bring issues to the front to be addressed. Well done MD and whomever your informants were. “The truth shall set us free”