Claire Elshot and Raymond Jessurun (file photo).
~ Instead of refusing civil servants medical cards ~
PHILIPSBURG–Putting a lien on the accounts of government or initiating an injunction were amongst the suggestions the St. Maarten Consumers Coalition made to the Platform of Health Care Providers during a meeting on Tuesday in an effort to convince them to pursue other measures instead of refusing the medical insurance cards for civil servants.
The Consumers Coalition was at the time discussing the potential refusal of the medical insurance cards for civil servants by family doctors due to high arrears. During their weekly press conference on Thursday, Consumers Coalition members Claire Elshot and Raymond Jessurun said they were informed during the meeting that the issue of payment arrears had been raised with authorities since last year. “We explained to the health care providers that…the senior’s association (FZOG cards) and civil servant (BZV government cards) were confronted with actions of health care professionals and institutions before. We maintained that cardholders did not do anything wrong for health care providers to punish them by refusing their doctor card and charging them cash (upfront) while their premiums have already been deducted from their salaries to receive care.”
The Coalition believes that health care providers and government should get together and seek solutions to this matter. The coalition also said health care providers can consider other measures such as placing the collection of their debt in the hands of debt collection agencies; initiating a court injunction or putting a lien on government funds until payment is guaranteed. “These options do not affect cardholders because (in these cases), they can still get their service and health care providers can still make money,” the Coalition representatives said. “Let one thing be very clear: all health care providers can make money because we demand their services when we do not feel well, when we are sick or when we are referred,” the Consumers Coalition said.
“When we left the meeting, two ministers – the Minister of VSA (Emil Lee) and Minister of Finance (Perry Geerlings) arrived to meet with the Health Care Providers Platform. We understood that the Ministers would get back to the health care providers platform by end of the week. As Consumers Coalition, we were informed that refusal of the doctor card has been put on hold awaiting what government is going to do.” The Coalition said it will continue to follow the developments concerning this issue until the matter has been resolved and cardholders are no longer at risk of having to pay cash upfront for medical services.
The Consumers Coalition and Anti-Poverty Platform first raised the issue last week after a teacher said they had been informed by SZV staff that as long as government does not pay SZV, insured will not be reimbursed for medical bills paid for abroad. The teacher had declared the bill since December. The teacher was also told that they would have to start paying upfront for medical services as cards for government workers will also not be accepted soon.
In an invited comment at the time, Lee had said he and colleagues in government were aware of the status of payments by government towards the OZR fund. He said SZV had brought this situation to the attention of government several years ago, and it is a point of concern of the Committee for Financial Supervision also. “This was again brought to the attention of the Council of Ministers including the Minister of Finance two weeks ago by SZV and by the Minister of VSA. All parties are now waiting on measures to be taken by the Minister of Finance,” Lee had said. Payments are being made and SZV has agreed to execute payments based on what is available. “The agreements on this are amicable and with respect to the fact that SZV, as a result, would have a delay in the processing of payments to insured etc.” The minister said government is also in conversation with health care service providers who are bearing the burden, to which they are hoping to come to a resolve at soonest. “It is not the intention of government that medical services to patients be disrupted by this situation. Payments are being made and SZV has been flexible in the matter. There are no absolute solutions yet, but we are all working on this together at the moment,” the minister made clear at the time.
SZV executes the administration and management of the OZR Fund on behalf of government, which is responsible for providing the funds to SZV that are deposited to the OZR Fund. The objective of the OZR Fund is to cover the cost of medical treatment, nursing or other related medical expenses that are provided to its insured, civil/public servants and/or government officials.
“SZV and government have been in consultation on the matter of the backlog in the payments towards the OZR Fund. Together we are looking at the state of affairs and structural resolutions. The result of the backlog is a delay in the transfer of payments to health care service providers for executed services and payments to OZR insured for approved medical reimbursement and dental requests. Both health care service providers and OZR insured are notified of this – pending liquidity of the fund, payments are transferred. Together with government, we are in consultation with the health care service providers who have expressed their concerns on the matter. We are trying to work on a solution to resolve structurally,” SZV said last week.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/85229-consumers-coalition-urges-health-platform-to-put-lien-on-govt-funds
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