Bvihsa Clarifies 'Free Care' for Elderly
BVI Health Services Authority officials say legislation guarantees care for residents over 65 but not every service at public facilities is automatically free. Officials warned that misunderstandings about National Health Insurance coverage and co‑payments have contributed to about $35 million in unpaid hospital bills.
Senior officials at the BVI Health Services Authority (BVIHSA) have moved to clarify what “free care” for elderly residents actually means, saying legislation guarantees access but that not all services provided at public health facilities are covered without cost. Acting CEO Dr June Samuel made the remarks on the Talking Points radio programme as she sought to correct what she described as persistent public confusion.
She said elderly care is delivered within the National Health Insurance (NHI) framework, which pays for a specified benefits package subject to limits; services outside that schedule are not automatically paid by NHI. “Yes, we have the regulations which say that persons over the age of 65 should get free care.
I don’t think we are in disagreement about that,” Dr Samuel said. “But there are two things. There is a co‑pay that comes back to the BVIHSA.” She added that co‑payments for elderly persons without income are meant to be picked up by central government, but services not listed in the NHI benefits package create additional costs that someone must ultimately pay.
In many cases BVIHSA has absorbed those charges, she said. Financial controller Errol Jones told listeners that unpaid bills across the health system have reached “tens of millions” as a result of the widespread belief that all hospital services are free. “The last analysis I did for the last three years shows about $35 million on the road for us right now, which we provided a service for and have not collected,” Jones said.
The question of elderly billing has been raised repeatedly in public and in the House of Assembly, with Second District Representative Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull protesting bills issued to older residents at the Dr D Orlando Smith Hospital in Road Town. Dr Samuel said BVIHSA has been instructed to apply the legislation as written and to bill the responsible ministry for costs not covered by NHI for elderly persons, children and indigent patients. “We have been advised to enforce and follow the legislation, and so that’s what we’ll be doing,” she said, noting the authority has already supplied detailed data and financial analyses to policymakers to show that guaranteed care still entails costs that must be met within the system.
For residents, the clarification means that while access to care is protected for those over 65, individuals and families should confirm which services are included in the NHI benefits package and where co‑payments or ministry reimbursement procedures apply. BVIHSA and the Ministry of Health will need to resolve how outstanding costs are recorded and funded going forward to avoid further strain on public health finances.
Primary source: BVI News