The final draft of a National Health Insurance Plan is being prepared for submission to Cabinet, Health Minister, Dr Christopher Tufton, said.
“We held a series of consultations with a range of stakeholders. We still may do a few more, but ultimately, Cabinet will have to approve it, then there is the matter of how you operationalize it. So, it is a scheduled implementation and will take some time to get to full throttle,” Tufton said.
Tufton told the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) that the insurance plan aims to “get more people involved (in accessing) health coverage” and will ensure that the most vulnerable have some basic insurance.
“A lot of Jamaicans are accessing health coverage in terms of the National Health Fund, but that is [just] drugs. Twenty per cent of the population (has) private health insurance; about 12 per cent of those are government workers, and then the rest are private,” he said.
“The insurance that is being envisioned will enhance some of the other components of benefits, whether it is diagnostic or otherwise, and develop a more organized way to outsource some of those benefits. So, it is an attempt at a more holistic approach to ensuring universal access to healthcare,” he added.
