Health Council Release 2015/16 Annual Report
In accordance with the Bermuda Health Council Act 2004, the Health Council announced the release of its Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2015/16, which represents all operational activity between 1st April 2015 and 31st March 2016, inclusive.
The announcement said, “The Health Council is committed to upholding standards in Bermuda as it regulates, coordinates and enhances the delivery of health services. Its achievements for 2015/16 include the following:
- “Enforced employers’ compliance with the Health Insurance Act 1970 obligations which led to re‐established health insurance coverage for 2,155 employees and recovery of more than $700,000 in health insurance premiums.
- “Coordinated development of Standards of Practice for Allied Health Professions which promotes transparency and accountability and encourages a high quality of healthcare for Bermuda’s residents. These Standards affect approximately 350 allied health professionals.
- “Published the National Health Accounts Report 2015 which provides details of health system financing and expenditure. The Report indicates a decrease in per‐capita health expenditure from $11,297 to $11,188 and a decrease in overall health system expenditure from $705 million to $693 million.
- “Conducted the actuarial review of the Standard Premium Rate and published the Actuarial Report 2015. The Standard Premium Rate for 2016/17 remained the same as 2015/16 and covered the cost of new services available under Standard Health Benefit that target chronic, non‐communicable diseases.
- “Collaborated with the Ministry of Health and Seniors to host two Symposia where stakeholders were invited to learn about and discuss anticipated health system changes.”
CEO, Tawanna Wedderburn said: “Overseeing Health Council operations and monitoring Bermuda’s health system has been an outstanding journey for us this past year. We facilitated the addition of new benefits to the Standard Health Benefit, while recommending that the premium did not increase.
“We learned from health professionals and providers and together we developed Standards of Practice, planned symposia to encourage consistency in appropriate screening for select health conditions and released a report on the performance of statutory bodies that regulate health professionals.
“We remain committed to collaborating with all stakeholders, protecting the public, and ensuring that the quality of care improves for all residents.”
The 2015/16 Annual Report for the Bermuda Health Council follows below [PDF here]:
