Consumer Coalition meets with SMMC, wants alternative financing for hospital

January 11, 2018

~ Still awaiting a meeting with Lee ~

CAY HILL–The St. Maarten Consumer Coalition met on Tuesday with representatives of St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) to receive a background and explanations for the tariff increase that went into effect at SMMC on January 1.

The meeting was on invitation of SMMC. The Consumer Coalition recently expressed concern about the consequences of the 41.8% tariff increase and its effects on the insured at Social and Health Insurances SZV and private insurance companies, as well as on taxpayers. They also wanted to know what quality of services consumers would receive in return for the tariff hike.
SMMC General Director Kees Klarenbeek told the Coalition that the SMMC Foundation is a non-profit Foundation that has to cover the increasing cost of the health care services that is provided and that adjusting the tariffs, which were not adjusted since 2004, was inevitable. He said the tariffs actually had to be increased by 150 per cent, but SMMC reached an agreement with SZV and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Affairs VSA to only increase based on the price index increases from 2004 to 2017 – the so-called Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) – which represented 41.8%.
SMMC Medical Director Dr. Felix Holiday and Care Manager Tony Pantophlet illustrated how SMMC has expanded its services and improved its quality of care for patients from here and abroad who visit St. Maarten and make use of the services at SMMC.
Co-coordinator of the Consumer Coalition Raymond Jessurun informed SMMC management that the St. Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA), the Windward Island Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) and SUNFED United Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) Federation have, over the last decade, been championing the right to accessible and affordable health care of the highest attainable level for all in St. Maarten. “In stakeholders meetings for a National Health Insurance we have advocated for this level of health care as we have this same right as all other citizens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands,” the Coalition said in a press release on Wednesday.
Co-coordinator Alberto Bute said SMMC is to be applauded for its effort to improve the quality of care and expand their services to reduce medical referrals abroad, but wanted to know more about which quality standards and benchmarks SMMC had been implementing.
Jessurun took the daily tariff for one day in the third class at SMMC as an example of their concern about the tariff increase. “The 41.8 % tariff increase results in a daily tariff to lay in the third class, which is almost double the one published on the website of the SEHOS (St. Elizabeth Hospital) the general hospital in Curaçao. Why (do) we have to pay double to be treated in the SMMC if we have been going to SEHOS in Curaçao and still can go for half the daily tariff of the SMMC?” Jessurin asked.
Before October 10, 2010, SMMC as peripheral hospital was allowed tariffs to a maximum of 70% of the tariffs of the general hospital in Curaçao. “After 10-10-10 the expectation was that SMMC which was now allowed to develop into a general hospital for St. Maarten could increase the tariffs to the same level as the general hospital in Curaçao. With the tariff list of SMMC for 2018 do we have to pay double the tariffs of the general hospital of Curaçao?
The Consumers Coalition wants to prevent increase in health insurance premiums. The Consumer Coalition therefore wants to dialogue with the SMMC about alternative financing to increase the income for the SMMC and to lower the premiums for the consumers in St. Maarten,” the Coalition said in its release.
Jessurun referred to information that 75% of households in St. Maarten with a household income of less than NAf. 4,000 or US $2,200 per month, are in poverty. “Increasing cost of living and in that context increasing the tariffs for health care services means an increase in premiums, which is unsustainable for the majority of the consumers of St. Maarten and a high progressive burden for the 25% with an income of more than the NAf. 4,000 a month,” Jessurun said.
The management of SMMC is willing to continue the dialogue with the representatives of the Consumer Coalition in the interest of consumers in St. Maarten and the improvement of the services and in the interest of covering the cost of the medical institution.
The Coalition said it is awaiting meetings with Health Minister Emil Lee about the national decree to change the tariffs of SMMC and with private insurance companies to defend the rights of the consumers to affordable premiums for quality health care in St. Maarten.