Annual health spending on the rise
With health costs having quadrupled in the last nine years, head of the Ministry of Health Dr. Christopher Tufton is calling for the implementation of a new contributory scheme for health insurance.
The demand for comprehensive health insurance coverage is on the rise in Jamaica, driven by increasing awareness of the importance of healthcare and a growing middle class some researchers claim.
The NHF’s revenue sources for the provision of benefits for the NHF Card and for grants to institutions are: 20 per cent of Special Consumption Tax charged on Tobacco Products; 5 per cent of Special Consumption Tax and one per cent of employee and employer NIS contributions.
Dr. Tufton Speaking at a forum on December 9, 2024, on the theme “Envisioning Jamaica’s Health Future,” said that Jamaica must move toward establishing a national health insurance programme, to address the growing challenges of healthcare sustainability.
The average spending per capita in the Health insurance market is expected to amount to US$94.89 in 2024. With an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 4.15 per cent the gross written premium is estimated to result in a market volume of US$328.40 million by 2029.
Statistica.com, making the global comparison, says the United States is anticipated to generate the highest gross written premium of US$1,708.0 billion in 2024.
Tufton stated rising costs of healthcare will remain unsustainable without a new contributory system. His Ministry has produced a green paper on the proposed Jamaica National Health Insurance Scheme which the agency says, “will guarantee universal coverage,” as although Jamaica removed user fees, patients still report not seeking care due to costs.
A World Bank review of health expenditure in Jamaica reveals that, despite the removal of user fees, out-of-pocket expenditures (OOP) remain high at 28 percent and private insurance coverage rates are below 20 percent.
The MOH indicates that approximately 19 per cent of the population has private insurance, while another 25 per cent (approximately 500,000) have disease-specific coverage under the National Health Fund.
The MOH in its green paper proposing the National Health Insurance Scheme said that health systems with larger and more inclusive pooling mechanisms would be more efficient in the distribution of risk and less costly per capita than those with smaller fragmented pools.
The demand for comprehensive health insurance coverage is on the rise in Jamaica, driven by increasing awareness of the importance of healthcare and a growing middle class some researchers claim.
The National Health Fund has spent upwards of J$7 billion plus since inception of but is limited in its impact. Among those costs which are escalating are treatment of cancers.
The NHF’s revenue sources for the provision of benefits for the NHF Card and for grants to institutions are: 20 per cent of Special Consumption Tax charged on Tobacco Products; 5 per cent of Special Consumption Tax and one per cent of employee and employer NIS contributions.
Dr. Tufton Speaking at a forum on December 9, 2024, on the theme “Envisioning Jamaica’s Health Future,” said that Jamaica must move toward establishing a national health insurance programme, to address the growing challenges of healthcare sustainability.
Statistica.com projects that health insurance market in Jamaica will reach h a market size (gross written premium) of US$268.00 million in 2024.
The average spending per capita in the Health insurance market is expected to amount to US$94.89 in 2024. With an annual growth rate (CAGR 2024-2029) of 4.15 per cent the gross written premium is estimated to result in a market volume of US$328.40 million by 2029.
Statistica.com, making the global comparison, says the United States is anticipated to generate the highest gross written premium of US$1,708.0 billion in 2024.
Tufton stated rising costs of healthcare will remain unsustainable without a new contributory system. His Ministry has produced a green paper on the proposed Jamaica National Health Insurance Scheme which the agency says, “will guarantee universal coverage,” as although Jamaica removed user fees, patients still report not seeking care due to costs.
A World Bank review of health expenditure in Jamaica reveals that, despite the removal of user fees, out-of-pocket expenditures (OOP) remain high at 28 percent and private insurance coverage rates are below 20 percent.
The MOH indicates that approximately 19 per cent of the population has private insurance, while another 25 per cent (approximately 500,000) have disease-specific coverage under the National Health Fund.
The MOH in its green paper proposing the National Health Insurance Scheme said that health systems with larger and more inclusive pooling mechanisms would be more efficient in the distribution of risk and less costly per capita than those with smaller fragmented pools.
"We are working with the National Health Fund on refining the proposal made some years ago. Progress is slow but steady," Dr. Tufton told Caribbean Money Daily on December 10.
Photo captions: Pexels image of medical staff and (below) Minister of Health Christopher Tufton.
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