Minister stumped over lack of healthcare for kids
Health Minister Dwayne Seymour delivers his contribution to the budget debate, 2 November 2017
(CNS): Health Minister Dwayne “John-John” Seymour has said he doesn’t understand why children do not have free healthcare. But despite being in a position to shape policy on healthcare and cover, he offered no solutions to address the very difficulties he outlined about families trying to ensure their children have access to healthcare. “I am still baffled at how we are not …how we don’t cover children or children don’t have free healthcare. This is a vexing issue for many people throughout the country,” the minister said in the LA Thursday.
As he broke from his prepared notes during his debate on the budget, Seymour spoke about the strain on families trying to pay for health insurance for their children. He described the family health insurance policies as one of the indirect taxes (though he later corrected it to say it was an indirect cost) that has been levied on the people over the last twenty years.
“These policies can go up to $1,500,” the minister stated. “Imagine, $1,500 coming out of a salary per month. The amount of things they could do with that! We need to find a way that the parents of this country are relieved.”
But the health minister gave no indication about the Unity government’s plans to address the broad challenges, especially in the private health care insurance sector, from the cost of premiums and inadequate cover to the cherry-picking of healthy clients.
Seymour spoke about the enhanced enforcement and supervision by the Health Insurance Commission and coordination with the immigration department to ensure that work permit holders are being provided with cover by their employers. But he pointed out that the unit deals with as many as 500 complaints per month.
During a near two-hour speech about his ministry, which covers health, environmental health, culture, housing and the environment, Seymour gave almost no information about the government’s plans, which were raised by Premier Alden McLaughlin in his budget statement, for healthcare reform, despite being directly responsible for health policy.
In contrast to significant concerns expressed over the last few weeks about the long-term inadequate management of the Health Services Authority, from financial services to problems over provision of care, the health minister lauded the authority’s effort to try and improve the situation. He did, however, point out the long waits people have in the emergency room and questioned why that could not be improved. He said that if government could not improve that then it would be a failing.
Seymour said there would be a review of the HSA but he gave no details of the policy direction that the ministry will take while he is in office.
On the subject of the environment, for which Seymour also has responsibility, he barely paid lip-service.
After the clear messages from the premier in his address that his government would be rolling back the environmental protections established under the National Conservation Law, there was no comfort for local conservationists in the environment minister’s address. Spending less than two minutes on the subject, he said his councillor, Captain Eugene Ebanks, would speak about that issue during his contribution.
In the short time he did speak about the environment he managed to promise to change the law to restore the legal importation, purchase and use of spear-guns, a move that many marine experts and conservationists view as a dangerous retrograde step for the marine environment. He also implied that the proposed marine parks expansion as it is now is unlikely to become a reality.
“We need to remember who makes policy and who carries it out,” he said, in an oblique reference to the much-needed enhancement, before stating that the councillor would say more.
Despite addressing the investment of over $1 million to deal with the invasive green iguana, Seymour made an unexplained reference to letting dogs deal with the problem.
See the health minister’s budget address on CIGTV
Seymour’s statements on his BTE constituency issues is available here
Category: Government Finance, Health, Health Insurance, Land Habitat, Marine Environment, Medical Health, Politics, Science & Nature
Dogs to help with the iguanas, Mr Seymour? Are you really that dim? For example, here in your own constituency of BT where unleashed dogs are running wild all over the place and frightening the young and elderly, you think we need more dogs? Don’t tell me these would be dogs on chains in yards, please, because that is just NOT the case in your constituency!!
Maybe there should be a legitimate local economy and some income tax. The irony of tax havens worrying about funding local health care when what they do prevents billions getting basic services should not be lost on anyone today.
As Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said today:
“By stashing the cash in tax havens, they’ve been depriving the British people of much-needed funding for schools, hospitals and care homes.
“The government must act immediately, and bring forward changes in the Budget to tackle tax avoidance and tax havens.
“Those with the most at their disposal should be making the biggest contribution to our public services – not hiding money abroad, and shirking their obligations.”
15 votes……damned shame….
Perhaps the more important issue is the millions of children worldwide denied basic healthcare and education because of the tax avoidance perpertrated by tax haven parasites.
Does he not understand that medical procedures cost money? Can he be that daft? Does he not get it that if you give free coverage to all some one has to pay for it? Duh!
The comments here on this site seem fake, like they are trying to minimize through laughter just how stupid our representatives behave. This is not funny, it is dangerous to have leaders that turn government into a idiocracy. We are not getting what we paid for because leaders are acting like kings, not representatives.
Only representatives of a minority of the population. The rest will be ready to fly off if he gets anywhere.
This Minister is the sad example of how politics is ruining this country. Given this post to keep power. Like it or not, Ezzard is qualified for this position, not Promoter John John. But because Alden would rather die a hundred times than include Ezzard, Arden, Al, or Chris, he would rather make the country suffer.
424, yes Mr. Miller is more qualified but he and others on the opposition couldn’t come to an agreement to form a government. For the past umpteen years this has happened and will continue to happen because of arrogance and unconscionable greed by some.
Truth is Mr. Miller, Mr. McLean and others will never get much or anything done for their constituents or the country on a whole, because of being back benchers year after year. That is just as poor and damaging as a minister who is naive and not as qualified.
They are finally set up to operate better as an Opposition Party to some degree this time around which is great. But the fact remains, they will not get a thing done by the way of policy and much needed change for their constituents and Cayman on a whole. They will just continue to highlight that the present policies being put in place does not benefit our people and country as it could.
This may well result in some not being reelected, but nothing will change for the better if again next term, the present opposition and other independents get back in, or new ones and cannot agree to forming a government yet again. It seems all due to greed and arrogance regarding who will be premiere and deputy premier etc. What is the sense in that?
Some people talk a lot, but also make things happen. Some just talk, and talk and talk (even if some of it makes sense) and remain in a position where they have to do nothing EVER. As a result they are never in a position to make change or be criticized as a minister. Not saying Mr. Miller would not be a better minister than the present one…
They all need to man up and step up to the plate when elected and try to work together for the betterment of the country. The best way to do that is to become a minister so you can affect change.
Sadly… GREED…seems to always take priority along with arrogance, and not a damn thing happens. This is the reason why we are in the position we are in today, and will continue on this downward spiral.
Until the best interest of country all around is put first, nothing will change in this country, and the irreversible damage we have already witness will keep on cementing its rotten roots in our society. Soon we will be worst off than all the other Caribbean
countries that have already been ruin because of greedy ruthless politicians.
Sad state of affairs…
This Minister is also an example of the need for better/higher education in this country.
The same Alden that threw Marco under the bus to save his own ass and left the ppl of GT Central with Kenneth, who has also been pushed aside by the “UNITY” gov’t. Nothing this self serving, egotistical clown does surprises me anymore. His moves, opened the doors to another egomaniac becoming speaker of the house.
Hilarious! He should write a letter of complaint to himself.
John John is a ‘double’ like in dominoes. When he play, duh change nuttin. Alden hold all the dominoes with two numbers.
This minister has become the laughing stock of the community. God help us.
cayman deserves what it gets…
we live in a wonderland where the best and brightest of society cannot be elected or even vote…….zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
So you are saying that only expats are intelligent , because they are the only ones i know that can’t get elected or vote, (of course discounting children, criminals and the mentally challenged)
So all Caymanians are stupid?
The gall of you to say such a thing. We certainly dont need people like you.
Where does the OP say Caymanians are stupid, or only expats are intelligent? they are being bigoted by saying the brightest are expats, but the fact remains that we don’t have a great track record of getting our brightest Caymanians into the LA. So not only are cutting off half the potential pool of clever people by excluding the expats, we then exclude a whole group of Caymanians with the limits on ancestry and residence, and combine that with ridiculously small constituencies so that people only need to be able to persuade a couple of hundred voters to support them by making wild promises, and this is what we get- time after time.
When I look at the photo attached to this headline, only one question comes to mind. How did these idiots get elected?
By the idiots who “woted” for them! Duh!
Do you folks have any idea what we pay our leaders compared to others in the region. Here is an excerpt from the Bahamas newspaper.
Cayman
Ministers $224,890 Elected Members $136,331
Bahamas
Ministers $71,000 Elected Members $28,000
Bermuda
Ministers 159,666 Elected Members $53,222
BVI
Ministers $126,612 Elected Members $98,724
Turks
Ministers $203,000 Elected Members $48,000
I know I will get mocked here, but if you want to attract the top talent you have to offer rewards comparable with the private sector….why would the top lawyers, finance people etc move to the LA for much less than they earn in their current roles? For love of country? I suspect not, although I would like to say we all should sacrifice our time to serve our country for a short while. So what do we get in the LA? Mostly Ambitious wannabes (wanna earn more than they could ever make elsewhere and wanna have power even though they will not use it wisely).
At the end of the day I have a strong suspicion that the Lodge is pulling the strings here…and having dumb people who are easy to corner/intimidate or fool is the best way to control that process.
Sadly the top lawyers and “finance people” as you put it aren’t the only ones who interested in collecting a tidy sum for a part time job.
We need persons who will do the job effectively without being enticed by the potential Honorable title and the pay or benefits, no one is suggesting they should work for free, but currently they are treated like aristocrats and nobles. The US President makes 400,000 (US dollars) a year, The PM of the UK makes around 140,000 (pounds) and our Premier makes around 180,000 (KYD), why?
Even lowering the entire pay-scale by 15k-25k would save the government hundreds of thousands of dollars a year and millions in the long run.
Diogenes
This is exactly why those who are elected and do nothing, want to remain and continue doing nothing but collect a hefty paycheck. I personally believe I work three times as hard as any MLA, and I earn nothing close to what the lowest paid member makes. I work in the private sector for a few years as well and I have my bachelors degree.
No. The real problem is that the talent pool is just so thin in Cayman. The talent pool consists of approximately 18,000 people if one excludes all of those Caymanians under 21 years of age.
I do not think it is as easy as you say as you are comparing apples to oranges. The private sector works for a profit the public sector works for the people. While there are many that will work only for the almighty dollar there are many civil servants that have left the private sector and took a pay cut because they have a strong conviction and vested interest in making a difference for their country. Wannabes or not, these people are still making a difference in our country whether good or bad and so it is for us the citizens in this country to also stand up and to do our part for the Love of Country & Love of Our People.
To the politicians that are wannabes…please don’t stay a wannabe, transform into the leader that focuses on what you do and why you do it. Live a life that counts, leave a mark that can not easily be erased and that people will truly desire to follow.
Top talent in the LA here ????? Buhahahahahaha!!!!
What is really sad and more pathetic is that Cayman Ministers make more than the Canadian Prime Minister and all Canadian Ministers, the Australian Prime Minister and all Australian Ministers and the British Prime Minister and British Ministers bearing in mind that all of those individuals also pay income tax on their salaries. An incredible gravy train if ever there was one.
WAKE UP CAYMANIANS. And CNS please don’t tell me to use small caps because I am so friggin mad about people being ripped off by ineffective politicians on these islands. People need to start getting mad about the nonsense going on.
3.08pm Very interesting, apart from receiving 5 times the salary of their Bahamian counterparts,I wonder if any of these other elected members get a fat, free, inflation proof pension and free gold plated medical care.
3:08 pm, are all of the above wages in US Dollars ?
Single Payer System:
For those of you who think this is a good idea and you would end up benefiting from this absolutely insane idea, let me describe why not only will you NOT benefit from this idea, but will likely end up starving in the relatively short term. (By the way, keep in mind that the single payer system is usually only found in large countries with millions of people where its destructive effects can take many decades to fully flourish. In Cayman its effects would be instantaneously disastrous and I will explain why)
First, what is a single payer system? A single payer system is one that everyone pays into a pool that is managed by government where the government rations out healthcare to everyone. Yes that is correct, *rations* out healthcare. I will address this further below why I say *rations* and NOT provide.
In order to know this is not only a moronic idea but a very dangerous idea, you have to grasp certain facts. Such as, in the single payer system there will be a limited amount of funds based on how many contributors there are. So let’s use a very oversimplified example to make the point, let’s say on the optimistic side there is roughly 50K people in the work force here in Cayman and everyone put’s in let’s say we are all generous and all making decent money so we all put in 500.00 a month which amounts to 25 million a month.
Now some of you think wait! Wait! I can’t afford 500.00 a month! Ok, let’s say that’s about 30% of the workforce so because you’re special you only get to pay 300.00 for the same set of services, and so the 30% provides 4.5 million a month and the balance of the 70% provides the 17.5 million for a new total of 22 million a month. Wait, I can’t pay 300 a month! Ok let’s say that’s another 30% of people that can only pay 150.00 a month. Wait!! What about the unemployed and the seniors? Ok that’s 10% paying $0.00 Wait! I make or close to minimum wage I can’t pay anything either! Ok, 15%.
So let’s revise and insure everyone with the *same set of services* no matter what they are contributing otherwise that would be *unfair*, the very noble, selfless all caring about you politician will say like the ones proposing this utopian dream.
100% paying 500.00 – 15% minimum wage = 85% paying 500
85% – 10% unemployed = 75%
75% – 30% that can only pay 150.00 a month = 45%
45% – 30% that can only pay 300 a month = 15% that can pay 500 a month.
(By the way private insurance rates can vary generally from 120.00 to 800.00 or more a month so these numbers are forgiving)
That is 7500 people that can afford 500.00 a month for 3.75 million
15,000 people can pay 300.00 a month for 4.5 million
Another 15,000 people that can pay 150.00 a month for 2.25 million
And the other 12,500 people can’t afford to pay anything — By the way this is the group the all-caring all knowing politician will pander and promise healthcare to by vilifying the rest of us.
Presuming everyone keeps their job and do not miss any payments whatsoever you would have 10.5 million a month to pay for all of the hospitals and service providers in the Cayman Islands. Good right? Plenny of money!!
And by the way this very basic example so far is based on a simple flat-payment system. We haven’t even gotten into the beautiful and endless potentials of using income taxes to pay for this! We can even triple or quadruple this amount of we go there! All we have to do is vilify the rich private sector businesses and selfish fat cats and shame them into paying their fare share. We will get to that possibility later.
In considering all of this let’s take open heart surgery for a bypass. That can cost up to 150K and let’s take someone needing to fly to Miami to get a lung transplant that can be 700K or more not including all the medicine and additional care required afterwards. Now multiply the amount of illnesses and medical attention required for everyone every month what would that be? Well we have some nominal idea based on what HSA alone racked up in bill yes? And also consider, they are not performing transplants and very costly surgeries. You have to go to the States for that and pay THAT hospital, all of the overseas procedures of which are even factored in these numbers.
*JUST HSA* (not including CTMH, Health City, TrinCay, and all of the other service providers) requires 26 million per 90 days just to operate. That’s 8.6 million dollars a month minimum to pay the bills, just for HSA https://www.caymancompass.com/2017/09/03/hsa-short-21-million-cash-writes-off-millions-in-debt/
Now on top of this the HSA has a 21 million dollar short fall, which means almost all revenues were not collected. How can that be?? You mean some people don’t pay their bills?
Now for the first effects of this wonderful single payer system:
Ohhhh… Since I’m paying now for this single payer system, I can’t afford my own private insurance? Well if most people can’t afford a second insurance, what happens to the insurance health companies like BritCay? Well since it costs a lot of money to operate in Cayman and now that the revenue is a fraction of what it was, BritCay will undoubtedly close its healthcare branch and leave, and eventually all of the insurance companies will leave for the very same reason. So now you have one beautiful single healthcare provider called the gommmment that has just about the exact amount of money to run one single poorly ran hospital. So what happens to the rest of the hospitals and service providers throughout Cayman? Since there is not enough money in the pool to provide revenues for all of them.
Well one of two things. We force people to pay more into the system, or they have to leave.
Now for the second effects:
Well any sane person would not want all of the healthcare providers to leave the islands and be left with one government hospital right? Lose all those jobs as well on top of the ones we now lost in the health insurance companies? Besides who would ever want to come work in Cayman if everyone is forced into a single hospital with no options of alternative healthcare providers? (no one)
Sooo, let’s make the obvious smart choice and make everyone else pay more! So how much more? Well seeing that a flat payment system doesn’t get as much money as can be gotten from the wealthier folks, let’s just take a percentage of their income. We can keep it small like 10%. So let’s do the math. The Cayman Islands has a median income of KYD$47,000 so we will take 10% of this, x the numbers in the workforce. That’s around 235 million a year and roughly 19.5 million a month. HSA requires 8.6 of that every much just to operate, that leave us roughly 11 million to account for the all of the other hospital combined. That’s not enough, so let’s tax the wealthier at 25%, then everyone else at 10% to pay for this single payer healthcare system and hope that’s enough, we can always raise taxes later if needed right? And of course meanwhile, those very same all-caring all about the people politicians will be promising *free* healthcare to as many people as they can, as stated in their own candidacy BIO’s calling for free healthcare.
Third effects:
…And there ensues the politics of class warfare, division and vote pandering as to who will be next to give away more free shit from the government.
The bottom line is whether you have to create an income tax, a flat VAT tax, corporate tax, a property tax, triple work permit fees and business fees, WHATEVER IT IS *you have t get the money from somewhere* and that means the cost that it takes to run all service providers is coming out of the private sector and that means your pockets if you are working an earning an income. The exception of course will be all those not working and not paying which the all-caring politician will be right there to promise them free healthcare surely pointing their finger at someone for this injustice.
This predicament is not optional; it’s an absolute reality of life to anyone that has a clue on how economics works. If revenues are stifled to service providers, the service providers will vanish and so will your healthcare. The government does not make its own money, we all pay for the government to exist along with all its services. Period!
All the Single payer will achieve is adding the most expensive set of services in history of the Cayman Islands that now have to pay for *through* the government. So now we would not be paying the service providers, we would be paying for an army of morons in government to administer healthcare services as well, worse those same bunch of bureaucrats deciding who gets what when. Once money certainly runs out to pay for all these services, don’t underestimate the stupidity of politicians to put the country into more debt to service these costs until the debt itself can’t ever be serviced. See Puerto Rico and Greece and may others. Never underestimate the sheer brain flatulence some of these politicians are able to discharge.
The reality of this is that the service providers will end up leaving as revenue is taken out of the private sector and forced through a costly government system administration before it even gets to the health service providers.
Forth Effects:
Further, as service providers leave, LESS healthcare service are available, forcing the government to start rationing doctors, services and eventually medicines as the service pool depletes further. As the service pool starts depleting and more and more jobs are lost in healthcare and business leave, there is less total income to put in the beautiful all-caring utopian single payer system. Less income, less services and this wonderful cycle expands and spreads throughout every single private sector entity and affects every single person in the work force. Healthcare queues will increase to receive poorer and poorer service until eventually; you won’t even be able to get the service on island and will have to leave to get it. Only problem is you will be too broke to afford it on your own and will not have any private insurance to pay for it.
Fifth Effects:
Eventually people will realize, it’s better to live elsewhere.
That’s the real beauty of a universal single payer system.
The result with this idiotic utopist bunch of false promises will always amount to worse healthcare for everyone, fewer options for the individual and sky rocketing prices until the economy eventually will be destroyed unless stopped. The problem with stopping this down the line is now you created a bunch of dependencies on the government and you no longer have the vibrant economy to solve the issue. And learn from the Bahamas, once companies leave, they don’t come back as the risk is too great to reinvest in countries with unstable governments.
Why if this is so expensive that private insurance can do this and not government? Financial resources and the model doesn’t assume that everyone will get liver transplants and they don’t give away free healthcare. Private insurance companies such as BritCay and others sell insurance throughout the Caribbean and the around the world so they have income from numerous sources, they limit their risk and, they pay out on a need-be basis only as patients require the services.
Most importantly…. companies like BritCay actually knows what they are doing as they do this professionally and must make investors happy or people get fired. THIS DOES NOT THE CASE WITH THE MORONS IN GOVERNMENT LIKE THE ONES PUSHING FOR THIS COMPLETE IDIOCY!
I hope someone prominent in the private sector will address this half-backed lame brained vote pandering idea.
Companies like XXXX also are looking to make a profit off of young healthy Caymanians and then they leave older caymanians out in the cold when they need Healthcare the most.
The entire industry is based off of minimizing risk and payouts while collecting buckets of cash from the Caymanian people.
Single payer has risks and benefits like any other insurance system
Where are all the failed single payer systems if the system is so bad, I am not one who will run up and down and scream that it is perfect but it can’t be worse than just being an temporary exploitable source of profit in a company boardroom who will be discarded or hit with insanely high premiums at the first sign of a health crisis.
Diogenes
So, you want an Obamacare model? Where low risk patients pay more to provide coverage to high risk persons? Hasn’t worked all that well for the US. If they want to reduce premiums, they need to reduce costs. Stopping rampant over coding by providers is a first step. Procedures were much more affordable before we had mandatory insurance. Most docs and facilities bill knowing insurance will pay bloated fees. I called ministers on this, with explicit examples. (I have 10 plus years in medical billing) and everyone blew me off. Either they are ignorant, lazy, benefiting, or just misogynistic arrogant boobs.
My child had an obvious ear infection. What he needed was was some Cipro drops. I cannot get them without a prescription. So, I went to the pediatrician. He weighed my son, took his blood pressure, took a full medical history, then looked in his ear, and said he had an ear infection, and prescribed some Cipro drops. It was coded as a high level visit with a full consultation. I did not need a high level visit, it is bull crap, and we are all paying for it. Instead of a $25 visit it was a $125 visit. Why, because insurance was paying. It is theft, it is wrong, it needs to stop if we want to contain costs, and provide coverage to more people at a reasonable rate.
Again the politicians know their voters. The uneducated will always take all they can get for nothing until there is nothing left. That is the bane of democracy, why every government eventually ends in poverty.
No truer words have been spoken!
This post sounds like it was written by one of those health insurance agents that radio cayman allows on to sterling Dwayne’s show every month or so to advertise ( for free) the benefits of a health insurance system as opposed to any other kind such as single payer which is what most developed countries in the world have. Except the USA of course but do we really want to follow their terrible example?
I am no longer in the industry, have never been on radio Cayman, nor do I wish to ever be. I just think people are being misguided by persons who are either ill informed, or have ulterior motives. We are all being ripped off.
If you went to the grocery store and rice was suddenly $50 a pound you would be taken aback, would you not? What if government forced everyone to have a ‘rice card’, you pay $150 per month and they give you free rice. You used to spend $8 per month on rice, but now rice will cost as much as the policy will pay.
Mr. Seymour – offer FREE CONDOMS. Encourage “adults” not to have children if they cannot afford to care for them in every way. A few $ a month will go a very long way to assisting persons to assit themselves.
Offering contraceptives to youngsters who can’t learn to abstain from sex, makes no sense. First they must be taught to control desires.
Actually it makes a great deal of sense and this country could benefit from better family planning and less children having children. We are pretty sure at this point that people do not “control their desires”.
Contraceptives should be free and readily available to all persons. It is crazy to think people will not engage in sexual activity, and it it ridiculous to force intelligent constituents to pay to support baby mamas in the name of religion.
This is a joke, right? Caymanian children (up to age 16) get free healthcare at the Health Services Authority if they are uninsured.
This is all set out in the Health Services (Fees) Law: http://laws-in-force.judicial.ky/pdf/Current/H/Health%20Services%20(Fees)%20Law%20(2002%20Revision).pdf. This document is only 8 pages long. And the actual sections of the law only take up 3 of those pages. Is the Minister unaware of the legal framework for his areas of responsibility??
Classic. Way to go Bodden Town East. Voting in this rocket scientist.
Everything done under this mans Ministry will be done by others because he is so far out his depth he doesn’t even realize its his responsibility to fix the issues he highlights. I wonder how much he has spent on consultant reports to date?
Vexing indeed. Vexing to see a member of the LA be so incompetent on public display. He should resign in disgrace. A little public humiliation may make him realize he does not have a clue.
They need to write a policy for insurance companies and the public to cover the youth and elderly with free health care through percentage cost to companies. Government could look at fees which are out dated. Use recycling fees, out date licenses fees and liter fines, hazard fee (vehicles on the roads and yards throughout the islands), environmental fines (small fish, marine animals that are protected, Conch, Lobster, turtle), Bus and Taxi etc.. the list could go on and on. Let us try Cayman Islands.
great idea, Govt was not able to collect simple garbage fees
Minister stumped. Minister has been stumped. Minister will always be stumped. Get used to it.
Howzat!!! He’s been given out.
Has he forgotten that hundreds if not thousands of children already get free health care as the offspring of civil servants, not to forget himself and all the other “destitute” M.L.A’s.
Blah blah blah – how many times do we have to tell you civil servants do not have free medical. And by the way do you have any clue how many private sector companies have free health insurance?! Who do you think pays for that? You and I when we use their services and pay the prices they charge us, it’s called the economy silly. But back to civil servants. 1. It is a fact that the vast majority of jobs in the civil service pay less than the private sector versions of those jobs, so when you start talking about free this and free that also factor that into your calculations please. 2. Civil servants are insured through cinico and govt has a policy that makes the HSA the primary caregiver. This funds the HSA. If this were not the case then the HSA would not be able to keep its doors open to serve the entire population (of which civil servants and their families only make up about 10-12 thousand). In other words the civil service is being used as a mechanism by the govt to subsidize the HSA, while providing health insurance and health care for its employees. If this mechanism were not used then the HSA would have to be direct funded to a greater tune to cover the ‘loss’ in cinico payments and the govt would face higher health insurance costs for its employees as it would pay higher premiums to private sector firms. I’m other words it will end up costing more over all. 3. Why is it that people always jump on this thing against the civil service instead of demanding that their company get better health insurance? Stop hating on the civil service. My goodness they need some little benefit for all the crap they take on a daily basis from the rest of us.
Please add to that benefit of not having to pay for health care for themselves and their dependents the value of post-retirement health care upon retirement after only TEN years of service for each employee and their dependents until they pass away! This is a lifetime coverage of $5 million for each person. All premiums paid by government. MLAs have a similar deal. Ever wonder why people hang on so long in the civil service? Or wonder why some leave the private sector to join the civil service at the appropriate age to ensure they can retire after just 10 yrs with this benefit? The employees of statutory authorities and government companies don’t have this sweet deal neither do the majority of persons working in the private sector! Civil servants – please don’t complain!
2.57pm You live in La La Land.Name one private sector company that provides free medical cover. As for the vast majority of civil servants being paid less, that’s because they do a lot less, have a job for life and are never held accountable for their incompetence. Your belief that the Civil Service funds the HSA is pure fantasy and as you are obviously a civil servant it’s hardly surprising that your powers of logic are so limited.
Free meaning getting some one else(expats) to pay the bill or the other Caymanian thing Just promise to pay and never do. Over a billion so far. Its how they do things here.
Ignorance truly is bliss…every resident will pay numb nut. You seem to forget Cayman has indirect tax hence we all contribute towards government revenue.
First of all govt gets funded largely by indirect taxes, which we all pay. Secondly, govt gets paid through fee for service, which we all pay. So please if it’s too hard for you here, board a plane and leave. But of course the fact that you are still here complaining is all we really need to know. You never had life this good, period. And before the anti-Caymanian crew jumps on to my post let me state something very clearly . No sane and rational human being is going to be faced with options, like ‘where should I live?’ and chose the worst option. So the fact that you are all here is proof enough that you want to be here… unless you made a terrible mistake, in which case, again, board a plane.
Don’t be asinine, 3:08.
Actually both are fallacies (indirect taxes and user fees).
How much do you pay per annum in indirect tax? Go on, work it out. It’s peanuts. Most staple foods are duty free. If you spent $1,000 a month on groceries you’d be paying about $100 in indirect tax (because it’s the store that pays duty on its cost, it’s not 27.5 on what you’ve spent). There’s a small amount on gas. Small amount on booze.
User fees? What like? $200 a year to drive on roads? A dollar for a postage stamp?
It’s all a hill of beans.
The vast majority of government revenue comes from private sector companies. And the vast majority of those companies are dealing with OVERSEAS customers.
Have you read the customs tariff?
You’re one of those expats, I’m guessing. Remember that any expatriate Civil Servant gets free medical as well as their spouse and dependents! Stop talking like we Caymanians owe you stiff necked fools anything!
Seymour is in way over his head here!
Waaaaaayyy over. What qualifies him to be Minister of Health? I know medical interns more qualified than joke joke.
He understands that he is the minister in charge of the very things he is complaining about, right? And it’s his obligation to take responsibility for them and to come up with solutions, instead of bitching about the status quo as if it’s nothing his Ministry had anything to do with.
Most of these issues can very simply be dealt with for free through the immigration law. If employers are not providing health insurance for the children of their employees, cut those employers off from work permits.
Done.
Yea that’s it, fire the employee when the employer is not complying with the law. Some people truly are backwards.
I’m Caymanian btw – not that that matters but sometimes we have to declare this in order to limit the tirades of us vs them (expats).
im terribly soory fe ya but who cares about your undesired to procreate
another bad day at the office for joke, joke….
caymanians deserve what they get for voting these local fools…
We should have voted for non-local fools instead?
That would be a nice option
2.34pm -Non local fools, permanent residents and status holders cannot be elected to the L.A. In this regard Cayman is a third world country and will always remain so if only inbred and often intellectually challenged born Caymanians are the only ones who can represent the people.So many of our brightest and most able are disenfranchised, how sad.
cns: can we get a caption competition for the pic please?
…….because he does not know how to offer a solution of any sort which could see free healthcare for children. It is easy for “a mouth to say anything” but without any solutions being offered, solicited from expert sources, or even inside the Governments camp, he is only paying lip service… And people eat that right up.
That’s the sad part. He is woefully unprepared for leadership role to be honest.
Free primary and secondary education is a legal obligation for CIG to provide to all children in the territory. If there are funds they should be spent on complying with existing legal obligations.
Free education or the right to education? Big difference, I still don’t understand why government doesn’t re-introduce book fees for public institutions. While I have no issue with tax payer money providing education, parents should also hold some responsibility for kid(s) future.
Its high time people stop assuming that everything should be compensated by Government.
The obligation is to afford effective access to free education for all children regardless of nationality.
It most certainly is not
You need to read the ECHR case of Ponomaryovi v. Bulgaria. The right to free education extends to Caymanian and non-Caymanian children and they must be afforded effective access to it. Every expat parent who has paid school fees could sue the CIG for the cost of the education.
Stop having kids you can’t afford! Having children is a privilege not a right. They deserve the best start in life and if you can’t offer that don’t do it!
For the record, I can’t afford kids therefore I’m not having any.
Chicken or egg. But if kids were not so expensive to have would you have?
You can not punish the children for the lack of planning of the parents. Would you set aside a section of the dump to put these children whose parents cannot afford healthcare?
100% agree.
CIG at one time offered free contraceptives. That certainly cost the country significantly less than the children who’s parents can’t afford them or simply think it’s government’s responsibility to take care of them
Well said.
They kind of still do. Contraceptives are required to be covered by the Standard Health Insurance Contract, and uninsured Caymanians and their spouses do not have to pay for contraceptive services provided by the Health Services Authority, “including clinics, devices and drugs,” under the Health Services (Fees) Law.
I don’t understand why anyone is surprised by john- john’s comments and lack of knowledge. The Premier knew fully well that all he could do was to help make up the numbers so that he could hold this charade of a government together!! Imagine three and a half years of this foolishness. God help.!!
Wa you mean is Caymanians ‘stop having children’ to make roam for your expat off-spring. When that happens they you will demand XXXXXX
CNS: Please don’t leave the caps lock on.
Cayman #1 export, Caymanians
Shame on you ! That’s why I took my children to the mother country for a better life, defintely a children’s paradise and children are prized possession. No one discourages you from having children. I know plenty Caymanians like myself have had the privelege of getting our children educated and reap beneficial awards because of our children from the UK Govt.
Looks like what goes around comes around. The Brits are coming (already here) Caymanians are leaving. Way to go!!
Your parents should have thought the same way before they had you and you would not be here. If they had money they would gladly pay for their grand kids. However you are just mean and want all for yourself.