Ministry surveying struggles to pay health cover
(CNS): Health Minister Dwayne Seymour said that his ministry is currently conducting a survey to find out how many companies are struggling to pay their employees’ health insurance fees. He said they are aware that many companies may have lost all of their business and might now be in a situation where they can no longer pay for their employees’ cover.
Seymour said that representatives from the ministry and industry stakeholders had held several meetings by Zoom “trying to figure out a way to ensure that the Cayman population remains covered”.
Forms have been sent out to gauge how many people are in need of the service that government intends to provide and the minister said he had “talked to caucus about how to approach this”, whether by paying individual policies, an idea that is still “being tossed around”, or by assisting companies who are willing to keep on their employees, which is something the government is trying to encourage, by giving them a grant.
He said that government was trying to do its part to ensure that when people get sick they have an insurance policy to fall back on, and were therefore trying to find out how many people were having difficulty paying their premiums.
Seymour said he is hoping they can bring something into effect very soon “so they can save some of these policies before they lapse”.
To access one of the survey forms, go to www.dhrs.gov.ky or email hic@gov.ky
Hard copies are also available at Foster’s and at Esso gas stations.
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Category: Health, Health Insurance
Open up Health Insurance to all Insurance companies, world wide , not just the few (4) and only ones here and allowed in Cayman and through competition all citizens will be able to have Health Insurance.
What type of a grant is the minister referring to? Hope it is nor the useless Joey plan. For it to be of any use it would need to include all employers retaining staff, whether they are 100% Caymanian owned or otherwise.
It should focus on hard hit tourism related sectors only, such as small retailers, restaurants, bars and water sports. I.e. accounting firms, grocery stores, law firms, hardware stores, and the like should not be eligible.
We saw what happened in the States with the PPP; businesses that did not truly need the money applied for it and took it away from small businesses that were in dire need.
Alden quite clearly stated that the Government cannot lawfully pay for services not received. APS should therefore not be receiving payment.
Sorry I don’t understand your post. No offense, I am just not aware. What is APS? And by the “…Government cannot pay…”. Does not mean in someway that grants are not legal? Then how did they give money to bus drivers or the NAU? Or maybe I just have this all confused. Seriously, no offense, I just am unfamiliar with this.
Thank you to 12:50 for explaining what APS is, I get it now. Jeez spent forever trying to find a Government entity with that acronym.
Ask if they are up to date on pension payments same time.
Get rid of private insurance, thief’s.
Remember they serve shareholders not you.
Really the ministry is struggling! Um,my business is still strangled by government’s moronic shutdown. How do you think we are doing?
Well it’s a bit like a caveman that has to figure out how to get to the moon. Meaning the solution will never come in your lifetime.
This comment is a bit off the subject but just in case the Minister of Health reads CNS I am putting it out here. There are two guys scurrying around the HSA panhandling and they need to be stopped. I have been there twice in the past 8 days and find them quite annoying. They could be prime transmitters of Covid19 if they become infected. Surely by now someone in authority should Have seen them darting around from car to car and it is becoming difficult to get in and out of the car without them getting too close. If they need a few dollars to buy food the ministry needs to know about it and arrange for them to be properly looked after. In normal times I would have handed him a few dollars but I really don’t want to get that close. There are many security guards on site but they don’t seem to be bothered by it.
There are also many panhandlers in GT. If they were truly persons in need I would be sympathetic, but they are the same druggies as before. Only now they is is a constant police presence doing nothing to stop them, whereas before we had a sporadic police presence doing nothin to stop them.
For Christ sake can you sit up straight Jon Jon.
We can always pray and hope the issue solves itself.
So here is Joke Joke’s daily contribution at the press conferences.
“Hello Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman and the Cayman diaspora joining us from overseas”. Very important to repeat that every day. Then the usual religious drivel scattered with scripture based insults towards everyone who dares criticize him. Then more useless drivel. Then some quotes from noted philosophers which he now fancies himself to be. Thank god, pardon the pun, that he has at least decided to spare us from talking in other languages. Focus on English JJ. Then maybe a jingle contest update.
Not once has he been able to answer a question of any substance. Why is he even there. Oh that’s right he was needed to prop up the coalition’s government. Lord help us. Again pardon the pun.
Who knew we had such a large Jewish Caymanian community?
5:40pm did you get a mass? Poor soul, would he know the difference of or meaning of mask and mass?
5:40 Nailed it. Also did you catch he referred to Sandhurst College as a very illustrual College? Instead of Illustrious? A man with his level of education is in charge of health. WTF Alden??????
Sandhurst College? Welbeck perhaps. Played the bastards at rugby. Tough as nails. Hard-assed British military types. Dumb as rocks though and only a few of them made Sandhurst.
Yes Jon-Jon, next question please.
Bet we don’t get any dates. Bit like the pension lots of companies just don’t pay it
How about we open Cayman up so businesses can make money and pay their employees? Hong Kong is completely open now and there are no problems. Death rate of this virus is less than 0.2%
When will Alden and Seymor acknowledge that the virus is not deadly for anyone who is even remotely healthy? Quarantine the vulnerable people not the healthy.
Having made the sacrifices we have made already, I am now content to reopen at the pace the government is comfortable with. Their strategy has already paid off and proven correct. The goal of being able to operate normally here for months while the virus rages around us is worth continued patience. Maybe I can say that because I know my salary is secure beyond the point when we will be open again and my job is no longer at any risk. Maybe I would feel differently if I owned the business I work for, though they’ve had me working from home all along and our product is notoriously expensive, so is opening probably won’t make much difference; our clients getting back to business as usual is what we need. But I’m in the position I’m in, a secure salaried employee along with thousands of others whose businesses do not need premises to operate and have had to keep working this whole time anyway. I don’t have a shop I can’t wait to get money in the tills of again, in other words, so can’t empathise with anyone in that position. And must admit, if you don’t own a business, I don’t know why you’d want to stop working from home any earlier than necessary. Cayman became way too stressful there for a long time and workers are now enjoying well-earned, much-deserved and needed flexibility and peace. Easy does it; the rat race will be back before we know it and we’ll want it gone again as quickly as it comes.
Thank you for the wisdom from a goverment worker who is on full pay.
Thank you Minister for as you also are a business owner who knows that you must pay all the pension and health insurance.
Bit too deep for most readers. Do elaborate.
Please tell me if employers are supposed to pay all of their helpers health insurance ? or only half and the helpers pay the other half?
Depends on contract, but usually half and half, and employer is liable to ensure policy is in place.
@ 3.30 A business owner?????
Minister Seymour has a company (APS) that does security work at Owen Robert’s airport. Since the airport is basically closed has this contract been put on hold or cut back or are we taxpayers still paying them full pay?
Hope CNS can find out about that one without being dragged thru the mud!
Don’t know if the poor lady will be able to take the backlash for asking a question like that of a sitting minister/businessman!
She should ask the Governor then. It is a fair question if there is any doubt as to any aspect of the contract or any aspect of the workers pay, insurance, pension, or work permits. In fact the Governor should be able to confirm, straight faced and emphatically that there is no issue. We can all be assured of that at all times. We have a first class government and a first class civil service. They are guardians of the public purse.
Oh my those are pearls of wisdom!
The governor won’t say anything that would upset the Premier & his team; besides why ruin a great paid do nothing job.
The lack of freedom of the press here is quite disturbing. We are half way down the proverbial slope to becoming the PRC.
3:30pm is that sarcasm. Hope everything is paid up.
Can we get a real minster to actually knows about health and what is to be done.
Like giving a child a weapon and tell him to be safe and not to hurt anyone, all of this was bound to be to happen.
Thanks for pointing out the elephant in the room, Mr. Elephant, All employers are struggling.
When are you going to take responsibility as a health minster and actually do something proactive rather than telling the community what we already know.
Lets just pray that money shows up in our employers banks over night.
Lettuce, Pray
Idiots!
And the winner is ?????
The insurance companies.
Perfume on a pig. There is no solution.
2.32pm Solution – join the Civil Service.
Jon Jon, ask the minister responsible for employment why the DLP (for which he is responsible) seems not to be routinely enforcing the laws relating to the terms and conditions of employment – which include providing for health insurance for 3 months post termination. There really is no mystery in relation to most of this. The law is clear. That almost no one is required to follow it, even in normal times, is the issue. 90% of today’s problem would be solved if the law were simply followed.
@ 1.59 Because all these business owners know someone who knows someone who knows someone who knows…..etc….etc
True that. It is called corruption in other places. Here is appears to be standard operating procedure. Governor?
Simple solution, the GT hospital should be open free of charge to anyone who doesn’t have insurance so long as business is being impacted by government lockdowns.
Always has been
GT hospital is not free, don’t confuse not being able to pay for free, you will be responsible for the charges.
They are obligated to treat you. It’s free if you want it to be.
Thank you, Minister, for acknowledging this is an employer’s responsibility. I wish you well in implementing fair solutions, that do not act
to disadvantage those many companies who have borrowed, scrimped, and suffered to make the payments. It would not be fair for their competitors who can in fact pay, not to be forced to do so.
This post must meant for a good laugh during these trying times because the Minister could really care less!