CIG healthcare bill still soaring with no plan in sight
(CNS): The public purse is still picking up a gigantic tab for soaring healthcare costs, but with only six months left before a general election, the UPM administration will become the latest in a long line of governments that have failed to address the healthcare insurance system that sees the taxpayer pick up the tab so that insurance companies can retain their annual profits.
While the government’s half-year balance sheet looks healthy on the surface, a closer look shows that it is spending unsustainable amounts on healthcare because so many people have inadequate insurance.
Since the start of this year, the CIG has already gone over budget for actual costs for the care of indigents by CI$7.3 million. Meanwhile, the 2024 budget for tertiary care at local and overseas institutions, where the government picks up the tab for inadequate coverage for Caymanians in need of serious healthcare, is over budget at the half-year mark by $17.2 million.
The government has also spent more than $9 million more than budgeted for the first six months of the year, injecting cash into the hospital and its own insurance company, CINICO.
As the years go by, nothing is done to address the failing health insurance system. As a result, the government is taking money from taxpayers, including consumer tax and financial services fees, to subsidise the private health insurance market that many people cannot afford to pay. Through CINICO or the HSA, the government covers medical costs for retired, disabled or unemployed Caymanians and healthcare bills for those with inadequate coverage.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Nick Gent recently noted that securing access to affordable healthcare is becoming a crisis for Cayman, even as the CIG pours an “astonishing amount of money” into the system. Gent blamed the “disparate healthcare system” that is “quite unlike” many others, which is making it hard for vulnerable groups to access the healthcare they need.
Many workers, especially low-paid overseas workers, are on the basic SHIC plan, so any serious medical emergency or health crisis leaves them in debt to the healthcare provider. More often than not, that is the HSA, leaving the government to pick up that tab indirectly as well when their debts to the hospital are written off.
Although the government is well aware of the problems, successive health ministers have failed to find a solution. With Cayman due to go to the polls again in April next year, this issue will still be waiting for the next government to address.
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Category: Government Finance, Health, Health Insurance, Politics
Good nutrition is taught and we see the eating habits of Caribbean people… Then with the high cost of living most people can’t afford healthy food or a gym membership. If this government would address the high cost of living people would address their health.
If CIG would subsidize gym memberships it would more than offset the cost of healthcare.
Have you seen our Ministers – Those who can afford gym memberships do not use them. Your statement sounds good, but fails the reality test. Folks do not need a gym membership to be physically fit. Before the age of ‘gyms’, many fewer were obese; they were physically more active and didn’t waste their money on fast food.
But we voted in Bernie Kenneth Jay and Heather to solve these problems. Why hasn’t our most serious problems solved with the guys in Office.
Why tell us why?
“Through CINICO or the HSA, the government covers medical costs for retired Caymanians”
No they don’t! I’m a retired Caymanian and I have to pay my own CINICO premiums. A few months back I didn’t have enough money to pay the health insurance premium that month. So Cinico reported me to the health insurance commission and I had a letter from them telling me I had to reinstate my cinico insurance or I would get a big fine and potentially jail time for not having insurance, which is a legal requirement. Scared me to death and put even more stress on me. So now I have cancelled my house insurance, and stopped using any air con, and never go out..just so I can pay the cinico premiums for a very basic policy that never seems to cover anything anyway. I’m scared for my future and will surely end up dead before my time because I can’t get the healthcare I need. It’s only when I have nothing left and am on my death bed will I reluctantly go through the indignity of getting help through NAU. Senior healthcare needs a complete overhaul so we don’t loose everything to pay for it.
Im so sad for you reading this. Our government has failed it’s people miserably. Only the wealthy they are willing to help and they don’t need it.
I just heard today from a retired couple who say they pay more than $2000 per month for health insurance, with no end in sight, other than when they finally give up and run out of money. Good people. Shouldn’t be their final fate in their so-called “golden years.”
In the UK we contributed indirectly via national insurance it was like 70 pound per. Onth but civil servants should all pay 100 ci monthly towards their health coverage, darn cheap that
Yes’m much more reasonable, however isn’t it true that you often have to wait several months for necessary procedures?
Why not just reform the HSA into an NHS-style provider? Low-paid overseas workers stick HSA with the bill, civil servants have full coverage with HSA through CINICO, and richer expats have private healthcare and probably don’t want to use HSA anyway. It seems like a medium-amount of attention and energy would resolve the whole thing to everyone’s satisfaction.
what about the 30% of Caymanians who don’t work for government and aren’t rich? Retired Caymanians are struggling like hell. Young Caymanians that weren’t able to grab the brass ring of government employment are struggling. NAU seems the only choice for most of them. Is that really the best we can do?
The NHS is free for everyone, so the point is that it would now be free to the 30% of Caymanians who don’t work for government and aren’t rich.
It ISN’T FREE, dumbass!! You think we have socialised medicine here??? NO! If you work for government, you are taken care of. If you don’t, you have to pay for your health care. If you are poor, you get CINICO indigent health care. There is a whole strata of folk between the rich Caymanians and the NAU recipients who are being reamed, and it is anything BUT FREE!!! Do some research and learn, please.
The work medical for foreigners cost more that the annual insurance benefits are worth!
I think it’s pretty amazing that our dear @gov is so generous the public’s monies when it comes to flock to help Jamaica that despises the Cayman Islands while successive administrations have done exactly Zilch , Nothing, Niente, Nix, ничего to solve the issue.
Maybe our vaunted luminaries care to explain their vision (or lack thereof) on the matter ? After all don’t you have to be severely visually impaired to crash into a roadside electric pole , an excavator standing also by the roadside , I wonder what will come next ?
An ambulance, an asteroid passing by, a donkey ? One can only wonder as to what our dear illustrious minister of WORC or is that WREC is now known as Vaselinegate will crash into next before next election ?
DONKEY!🤣🤣🤣
Despite 20 years of public service and contrary to public opinion I get zero healthcare from the government. I also get the same pension as the private sector with monthly payments that do not even meet half the premium for health insurance. Unfortunately at age 65+ insurance companies do not want to know you for any type of insurance by hiking the rates to where it is not affordable.
The Elephant in the room: Why people are so sick on this rock? What kind of diseases, illnesses, conditions do they have! Do they see a doctor every time they have a runny nose or a cough or a fever?
OTC Boiron Oscillococcinum and SinusCalm work beautifully.
…Sick when I need to look for a job.
…Sick when I need to pay attention in school
…Sick when I need to save $ vs buying fast food
…Sick when I need to show up for work
…Sick when my CIG check is late
…Sick when I get out-hustled for a promotion
I agree, many “on this rock” are chronically sick.
Too many people in Cayman have poor diets which contributes to the health issues – too much alcohol, too much sugar and saturated fat, too little exercise.
..You brought all your crap foods with you.
Captain Obvious.
Yes, it’s all our fault that our government has failed us and that our health care falls well short of providing for us. Thank you for your compassion. I wish I were also rich, so I could stand on my hilltop in judgement.
Take out the word “ healthcare” and the headline is still true.
Not all caymanian seniors get free health care…..
Perhaps not but they don’t have to pay for it either.
You don’t know what you’re talking about. Many Caymanian seniors are paying the majority of their pension and income toward health insurance. When they have paid all of their lifelong savings to health insurance, then and only then do they qualify for CINICO indigent care.
Perhaps, but they don’t have to pay.
They can’t be refused care.
I know exactly what I am talking about.
You haven’t a clue. They have to pay and pay again. They can’t be refused, but they are still obligated for that payment of services. Do you get that? Finally?
Their health care insurance is through the roof. Unsustainable costs. If they switch to CINICO, yes, that is a much lesser monthly cost, however that only pays for catastrophic care.
So here are our elderly, foundering, spending the majority of whatever pension they might have on health insurance. And here is you, being all superior, thinking they are getting a free ride.
Well, wake up and smell the smoke, skippy. Your and my elderly are being screwed, at the point in their life where they most need help from the government which has abandoned them.
Someone doesn’t have a clue, and it isn’t me.
Why pay for something which you can’ be refused? That’s on you, pal.
You are an entitled, obtuse irritant. I hope you get that which you deserve.
Can’t be refused, doesn’t mean free. Are you really that dense?
…nor should they…there are many wealthy senior Caymanians….
If the islands want a socialisaed welfare system, then fair eniough. They just need to pay for it with direct taxation….and we all know taht will never happen….
no-one in cig cares or has the abilty to fix this….they just keep praying the financial services $$$ keeps rolling in.
any comment mrs governor?
..the governours (which ever one) NEVER do anything, at the end of the day…..
they need to leans on property
10:51? You mean liens?
Surely you attended British schools?
They do, so you take the property and the people then show up at NAU. Not really a solution.
What has Pisa got to do with it…?
I don’t think this is what Bill Withers had in mind.
Give the UPM some credit – a plan to leave a problem to compound into a crisis that may be dealt with by some other politicians in the future is still a plan
CIG: “We’ll work on this after we finish our stew turtle lunch…”
That hurt yo.
Below the belt!
Punching above our weight.
No wonder HealthCity now has a subsidiary that is in the Insurance Business.
CIMA licence#2040835
Give them a finger and they will take the whole hand
Cayman Integrated Healthcare Ltd.
No Caymanian Participation required for any CIMA registered local businesses.
Why does the 60:40 rule not apply to all CIMA regulated domestic businesses?
Hon Minister Andre who is in Charge of both (i) the Dept of Commerce and Investment (under whom the LCCL regime falls under) and (ii) CIMA ought to be well aware of this.
CIG and CIMA are aware of this loophole and yet do nothing about it.
Why would CIG permit a hospital to have an insurance company? Has anyone done an impact assessment study as it relates to how it will impact private sector doctors/hosptials/patients and delivery of health care in general? Will HealthCity now have different service levels based on type of insurance?
The issue has been worsened my the new medical letter system imposed by WORC, and the inability for people from certain jurisdictions to have proper medical before they come.
It means that increasing numbers of unwell people are coming and joining our community.
Rather than being refused permits and never arriving (which is what the system intends) people are increasingly coming with serious conditions that are not diagnosed until after they are already here.
This results in increased danger to public health as the risk of contagious conditions, like Tuberculosis (and now MPox)getting here are increased (the forms require medicals to be given to persons from many third world countries only AFTER they get here). This is increasing risk and the strain on healthcare, insurances and finances. Our old systems worked and prevented much of this issue.
Our systems seem to have now gone insane, and that contagion seems to be spreading across our systems of governance.
I agree with all of this. People will say it’s prejudiced to require people to do a full medical before arrival and to reject those who have certain medical conditions. However, this is common practice in most developed and developing countries. You must look to the health of your people first before throwing the gates open for everyone. It’s basic common sense even if it seems a bit mean-spirited.
That hurt yo.
Below the belt!
Punching above our weight.
I have never in 45 years of International travel (Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Ireland, France, Canada, Turks and Caicos, Belize, Honduras, Bonaire…Cayman) been asked, let alone required for a ‘full medical’ before arrival anywhere. Your comment is so absurd it is a disgrace to logical conversation of a serious issue.
When immigrating whether through a permit/visa, you do have to do a medical. You are talking about holidays and visiting.