MP Tucker Seeks Clarity On Health Spending

[Updated] Shadow Health Minister Robin Tucker is urging transparency around Bermuda’s healthcare finances.

She said, “Since the implementation of the block grant in 2019, the public has not had a clear picture of Bermuda’s health finances and expenditures. How do we know healthcare funds are being efficiently managed or what the island’s actual healthcare financial position is? The Bermuda Hospitals Board has not made its audited financial statements publicly available since 2020.

“The Bermuda Health Council has not released a National Health Accounts Report, which provides a standardized framework for tracking the island’s healthcare finances and expenditures, since 2020 either. Where is the transparency?” ponders Shadow Health Minister, Robin Tucker.

“Six years ago, the PLP government implemented block grant funding for the hospital. Looking at the government’s budget books, the actual amounts spent to support the hospital for the years between 2019/2020 and 2024/2025 total approximately $795 million. For 2025/2026, $177 million has been budgeted; so, if the hospital spends at least that amount this financial year it will have spent almost $1 billion from the public purse since the funding model was changed.

“Unfortunately, owing to the timing of reporting periods it is unlikely that the public will know the full amount it paid until the 2027/2028 budget cycle.”

A spokesperson said, “MP Tucker questions when will the Bermuda Health Council publish its 2020 Report—years after it was due to be published.”

“The presentation of the 2020 Accounts Report has remained ‘in progress’ on the Bermuda Health Council’s website for a few years. Over a year ago, after the OBA submitted requests for updates in the Senate, we were informed that the National Health Report for 2019/2020 was complete at the end of 2021, the Report for 2020/2021 was finalised in 2023 and the delay in releasing them was because the Reports were undergoing final reviews and approvals for release ‘soon’.”

A spokesperson added, “The latest update on the Health Council’s website now shows that Reports for the financial years ending 2019 to 2023 are in progress and that progress is 95% complete.”

MP Tucker continues: “This raises other key questions, if the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 reports were complete, what is preventing them from being released?

“Without receiving timely reports how reliable are the financial decisions being made for important health initiatives, such as the recently announced rollout of Universal Healthcare planned for 2026?

“As the hospital’s actual spending under the block grant funding model creeps closer to a billion dollars, we should be demanding greater evidence that the block grant funding model is working and achieving its original objectives. Is it improving health system costs?

“Having current audited financial statements and National Health Accounts on a timely basis is a start to assuring transparency and accountability for how our tax dollars are being used to support healthcare since this is what we all want, don’t we?”

Update: MP Tucker said, “Six years ago, the PLP government implemented block grant funding for the hospital. Looking at the government’s budget books, the amount spent to support the hospital for the years between 2020/2021 and 2024/2025 totals approximately $795 million. For 2025/2026, $177 million has been budgeted; so, if the hospital spends at least that amount this financial year it will have spent almost $1 billion from the public purse since the funding model was changed.

“The Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure [Budget Books] for the relevant periods show expenditure for the Hospital as follows:

“Calculations covering the period between 2020/2021 to 2024/25 total $794,976; add the amount budgeted for 2025/26, $177,141 and this totals $972 million or more specifically $972,117,000.”

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