2nd Reading
National Health Insurance Act

29th November, 2006

Introduction
Mr. Speaker,

It is with great honour, pride and joy that I rise to move the second reading of the Bill for an Act to establish a National Health Insurance Scheme whereunder persons would be provided with a defined package of health care services; and to provide for ancillary matters.

The bill will in the future be titled the National Health Insurance Act 2006.
This morning, I open the debate on what will be the single most important piece of legislation that my government will bring during this parliamentary term perhaps the most important since I have been a parliamentarian.

For more than twenty-two years, as a nation we have grappled with the notion of providing a comprehensive, sustained and affordable system of health care that would eliminate the cruel and unjust reality of Bahamians dying because they cannot afford to pay for health services.

Mr. Speaker, in a country so developed, so technically advanced and affluent as The Bahamas is, it is regrettable that there are not already appropriate provisions made to ensure that all Bahamians, regardless of their social status, are able to have access to good, quality health care.

Testimonials
Mr. Speaker, all of us either knows or heard of someone who has had to suffer with illness because of the lack of resources to receive proper treatment.

Health Care in The Bahamas
Mr. Speaker, although successive governments of The Bahamas have seen the need to provide the Bahamian people with access to quality health care, there is much room for improvement.

Despite devoting 15 percent of the national budget to health care…
Despite building numerous polyclinics throughout the country…
Despite providing scholarships for the training of health professions, improving the range of medical and diagnostic health services…
Despite all of this, it has not been sufficient to service the growing need of the Bahamian society for quality health care at a cost that all residents deserve and can afford.

Socially Responsible Government
Mr. Speaker, one of the things that I am most proud of is the fact that my government, despite the monumental work that we have done to transform the Bahamian economy, has always sought to put the development of the Bahamian people first.

Indeed, all of the development that is coming on stream is creating opportunities for Bahamians.

My government wants to ensure that Bahamians are in a position to be the primary beneficiaries of whatever development takes place.

In order for Bahamians to be in a position to take advantage of all that lies before them, they must be healthy individuals.

In a country like ours, which is limited in natural resources, our human capital must be developed and sustained.

Providing for the wellness of our people and ensuring that there is available health care for them in the time of sickness speaks to my government’s wholehearted embrace of the maxim that “the health of the nation is the wealth of the nation”.

Mr. Speaker, my party has long been the champion of the working class, the small man and those in need of help.

It is one of our fundamental beliefs that from whom much is given, much is expected.

Those who have the opportunity to help others are morally bound to do so.

When we know that 7 out of every 10 adults is overweight…
1 out of every 4 is hypertensive…
And 1 out of every 6 is diabetic, putting them in great risk of having a stroke or heart attack…

In the face of such statistical facts, then a caring government must not only be concerned, but must be driven to take appropriate action.

A caring government must be concerned and take appropriate action when organizations like the Sassoon Foundation, the AIDS foundation, the Cancer Society, the Diabetic Association, the Kidney Foundation not only need to exist, but provide essential, even indispensable assistance to Bahamians.

One of the primary functions of government, Mr. Speaker, is to improve the quality of life for its people.

The people must come first and this of necessity should mean that government must be increasingly responsive to the real needs of its people.

Mr. Speaker, when we came into office just over four years ago, we promised the Bahamian people a more consultative approach to governance.

We established several committees and commissions to investigate issues of national importance, but we were criticized, ridiculed, jeered.

Mr. Speaker, members opposite have tried to label us as a ‘do nothing’ government.

But, we were consulting, studying, reflecting, developing plans and laying the foundation for transforming this country.

…Transformation in the way we govern, transformation of the economy and transformation of the society…

Unlike some, who would fax a bill to Parliament without the Cabinet even having sight of it, we took a steady, deliberate, systematic and responsible approach to reshaping the twenty-first century Bahamas.

As it relates to this initiative, Mr. Speaker, we have embarked upon the widest consultation possible!!!

In this year alone, the NHI team, spearheaded by the Ministry of Health, organized and conducted a range of public outreach, consultative and educational activities.

These activities included press conferences; articles in the print media; brochures; radio interviews and over 70 consultation-public education sessions with various groups including:
* Health professionals
* Business and Finance
* Labour Unions
* Community Organisations & Govt. Groups

Additionally, the NHI team accepted many invitations to speak to numerous other private and civic organizations.

Mr. Speaker, as you will recall, a special presentation on the NHI was organized for parliamentarians, and held last month, which was boycotted by members of the official opposition.

Nevertheless, because of the importance of this exercise and because of our desire to consult with all key persons, a second invitation was extended to the official opposition.

We have yet to receive a favourable response to this invitation.

The Need for Legislation
Mr. Speaker, as you know, the Government appointed a Blue Ribbon Commission (BRC) to study National Health Insurance.

In its collective vision, the Blue Ribbon Commission recommended a universal and mandatory National Health Insurance Scheme as the most appropriate method of financing health services for the population of The Bahamas. They reported in 2004!

The government sought further actuarial advice and we turned to the ILO experts for an actuarial assessment and in July of this year, the ILO experts gave the Bahamas’ proposal the “thumbs up” sign, indicating that they had never encountered a situation that was so ready for the benefits of a National Health Insurance Plan!

One of the key recommendations made by the BRC is that an appropriate legislative framework be established to support the introduction of and to regulate the operations of the NHI.

This particular bill that we are presenting here today is not a prescriptive bill, but rather it is a bill that seeks to provide for the governance of the NHI.

My Speaker, by no means has the discussion on the detail of the NHI been definitively decided upon!

We shall continue in the vein in which my government has operated since May 2002.

We shall continue by, yes, consulting with the Bahamian people.

Details of the administration of the NHI will be included in schedules and regulations that will be attached.

This will only happen once the full details of the plan have been agreed upon.

There is, however, a need to have in place the legal framework to be able to move to the next stages of development for the NHI.