Comments on: ‘Help Achieve Affordable, Accessible Healthcare’

By: Kathy

Kathy — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 13:29:13 +0000

“The role of the Health Financing Reform Stakeholder Consultation Group is to review the financing options and analysis prepared in the 2012 Report on a Health Financing Structure, and provide feedback to the Ministry about how the options presented may impact the people of Bermuda and, more specifically, key stakeholder groups.”

This was analyzed at the end of 2012, prior to the election, when Zane DaSilva was Heath Minister. The working group at the time said that the PLP plan, which was put together by Jennifer Attride-Sterling (now P.S.) and others, would bankrupt Bermuda. The analysis was so discouraging that the PLP didn’t even include the report’s recommendations in their election platform. I can’t see how further analysis would change that original actuarial advice. Healthcare financing is tremendously difficult to understand, and the current Minister of Health is a lawyer with no healthcare experience. She will rely entirely on the advice of her P.S. and others who got it very wrong the first time.

By: Question

Question — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 08:46:58 +0000

So the PLP’s plan is to reduce healthcare services, similar to how they reduced bus services, and trash collection services. All while increasing costs. Got it.

By: Jt

Jt — Thu, 18 Oct 2018 01:25:58 +0000

Everytime we need a solution increasing our population states us in the face.
Walton where are you?????

By: WSP

WSP — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 23:11:39 +0000

Well that headline is an oxymoron.

By: Charlly X

Charlly X — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 22:20:03 +0000

Smh if big business wasn’t feeding us Trash from the start ,maybe we wouldn’t need expensive health care. They’re the ones profiting whilst we fight and die amongst ourselves!

By: aceboy

aceboy — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:55:30 +0000

It’s like she is Dr. Jeckle one minute (here for example) and then she turns “Mrs. Hyde” in support of huge payments to her former boss.

Renee Webb was like that, she would trumpet the close connection Bermuda had to the English legal framework and highlighted the ability of an appeal to the Privy Council in civil matters under it while speaking at an ecommerce conference in London one week, but she would be back in Bermuda chatting about the need for Independence the next week.

By: sandgrownan

sandgrownan — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 19:17:27 +0000

Any actuaries on the panel? The elephant in the room is that even without paying wealthy ex-premiers and tinkering with rates, and reducing the amount of mac n cheese we eat, there simply aren’t enough of us to support our needs.

By: Stephen Thomson

Stephen Thomson — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:53:18 +0000

My suggestion that I have floated with many in the local health insurance market is to offer as one option “catastrophic coverage”.
Essentially, as Blue Cross offers in the U.S., I pay a very low monthly premium but am fully responsible for all health costs up to say $3,000 per annum. After that insurance kicks in at 100%.
In other words, if I had cancer or needed open heart surgery etc, my insurance company would cover but all smaller incidentals like office visits and RX etc would be covered by me until I reached $3,000 in any given year.
This would discourage individuals from over using health care because we feel we pay such an exorbitant amount”we might as well go to emergency at KEMH as there is no co pay”.
It is completely set up to encourage us to use services more rather than dissuading wherever possible.
I am told that Government has legislated what must be covered so the insurance companies hands are tied.
Come on Government, this would save locals thousands of dollars per year in premium payments and it’s not complicated.

By: Realist

Realist — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 18:01:52 +0000

No one really cares about healthcare costs until they or a loved one gets very sick. Then they realize all the money paid into insurance is nothing compared to ridiculous copays and fees. And let’s not talk about the substandard medical care and misdiagnoses here.

By: Wahoo

Wahoo — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:51:17 +0000

Perhaps we reduce the number of scans to something more in line with the rate in other countries.

By: Mark

Mark — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:39:46 +0000

here’s a radical idea, stop subsidizing rich doctors! another one: don’t let dentists and insurers use the Ontario fee schedule when deciding the cost to be covered for their services! final one: make preventative services like annual physicals and bi-annual teeth cleanings absolutely free for everyone!

By: 2 Bermudas

2 Bermudas — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 17:12:40 +0000

It only makes sense if you drink enough titty milk. Clearly you haven’t had your daily intake!! Ha ha ha!!

By: sandgrownan

sandgrownan — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:52:12 +0000

1. Increase the population to spread the cost (see also falling retail sales, decline in economy etc etc).

2. Stop providing handouts to former Premiers.

By: Sir Brighton Early

Sir Brighton Early — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:03:36 +0000

For domicile and worldwide profit you would think insurance would be reflective of that we are only fifty five thousand or so.

By: Sir Brighton Early

Sir Brighton Early — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 16:01:49 +0000

Does govt. require consumer advocacy sensitivity classes or what?

By: John E. Thorne

John E. Thorne — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:48:20 +0000

What a joke. One group tries to reduce costs but when that takes money out of PLP members pockets it is reversed. This government is not serious about reducing health costs and improving health care in Bermuda.

By: stormy daniels

stormy daniels — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:40:57 +0000

This will be another project like gambling, no result in the hear future.
Keep making payments of 1.2 mill will help though.

By: Truth is killin' me...

Truth is killin' me... — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:36:30 +0000

Talk, talk and let’s talk some more. Talk don’t pay the bills, increased bills and taxes. Let’s see some action and I don’t mean sugar tax action!

By: question

question — Wed, 17 Oct 2018 15:08:17 +0000

How does dramatically increasing the cost of imaging help to reduce healthcare costs?