Pay up! Gov’t urged to enforce NHI compliance
The government has been urged to strictly enforce mandatory compliance under the National Health Insurance (NHI) system, amid concerns that widespread delinquency is undermining the scheme’s sustainability and fairness.
Speaking during the budget debate in the House of Assembly last month, Second District Representative, Melvin ‘Mitch’ Turnbull, said the law already requires mandatory participation in NHI. Still, enforcement has been inconsistent, allowing thousands of businesses to avoid paying their contributions. At the same time, the system continues to carry the cost of treatment.
Turnbull noted that, for the first time in a decade, NHI recorded a surplus, which he attributed to stricter adherence to the existing law. “For the first time in 10 years of the National Health Insurance, it was able to produce a surplus… because we are enforcing the law that exists on the books,” he stated.
Over 3000 delinquent
However, he cautioned that the surplus alone would not resolve deeper structural problems within the system, particularly if enforcement efforts are not sustained. He pointed to data from Standing Finance deliberations indicating that thousands of businesses are delinquent on their NHI contributions.
“Over 3,000 businesses are delinquent. Delinquent — not paying their contributions,” Turnbull said.
According to Turnbull, this failure places an unfair burden on compliant employers and public servants while depriving employees of future benefits. He argued that employees of non-compliant businesses still receive treatment, leaving NHI to absorb the costs. “You’re cheating the system,” he said, adding that continued non-compliance risks the eventual failure of the programme.
Turnbull also highlighted alarming utilisation figures, citing evidence that NHI processes approximately 85,000 claims per quarter. He said this equates to more than 13 visits per person per year, a figure he described as unsustainable. “You can’t tell me that everybody that’s registered goes to visit every 13 times,” he remarked, calling the situation “a runaway train”.
$15M injection
Beyond enforcement, Turnbull called for increased investment in the NHI fund itself, rather than allocating funds primarily to settle outstanding provider payments. He suggested a minimum injection of $15 million to strengthen the fund and modernise benefits, many of which he said remain outdated. “Your law says it is supposed to be mandatory. That’s what the law says,” he added, pressing the government to act decisively against non-payers.
The issue of NHI compliance has been a recurring concern over the last decade, with reports surfacing about persistent arrears and questions about long-term viability. Turnbull concluded that enforcing the law evenly across all sectors was essential to protect both the health system and the wider public interest.
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In reality it’s actually much more serious than all that, when an employer deducts NHI payments from their employees and fail to pay this to the government, it’s pure theft. It’s behavior like this that caused the COI and its amazing that the government has not rectified the situation.
That bar/restaurant down west famous for that. But every 3 month kms got anniversary lol
They had/restaurant down west famous west famous for this. But every 3 months kms got anniversary lol
The current government cannot force anyone to pay up because the same people not paying in is there supporters family and friends.
Them have payment plans with nhi and SS board while raking in millions of Dollars to rape the system
The bvi right now is just exploiting the working population there
And sadly that’s the reason why no major entity will invest in the BVI, and, always has been. Not sure how we change that without recruiting a senior outside individual to control the government as Director General.
NHI payments should be strictly enforced,unfortunately this will not happen because of delinquent business owners big name or political affiliation.
Another clueless soul with no idea of how anything works but just loves to talk.
Over 3,000 business are delinquent…not 1 or 2, not 10, not 100 but 3,000 businesses….how businesses are there that have employees subject to NHi in total? There can’t be that many more. From this one can deduce that withholding NHI contributions is a common practice. Rumor is it alao happens with taxes on wages. How is this not fraud? And, since there seem to be so many delinquents, there surely is economic incentive to prosecute them. Why bother with the system at all if the rules aren’t going to be enforced?
If they weren’t paying in social security do you think NHI would be different? The same employers not paying Social Security are also not paying NHI. It should be crime and punishable by hefty fines and possible jail times. It should be a crime to steal from employees. If employees did this to their employers, they would be fired, charge with a crime and possible hail.
They eant to enforce taxes on work permits holder’s
But let scotch free business places that are thieves where they deduct NHI but failed to pay into government institution.
They are the ones who should pay. No, they are the policcy makers and top government officials
Shame on you
EVERYDAY YOU ON YOUR YELLO RACIST SITE ABOUT YHE WHITE COLONIALIST SLAVE MASTERS DID THIS DID THAT LIKE ITS A NATIONAL ANTHEM , ABOUT WHATS GOING ON IN OTHER COUNTRIES LIKE YOU KNOW EVERYTHING , / NOW YOU BLOGGING WITH YOUR NEW NAME ( YRRAL) YOU DEFENDING THE DICTATOR MADURO , BECAUSE ANOTHER DICTATOR ” TRUMP ” FLEX OFF HESELF ON HIM / BUTEHEN VINNIE & SAINT ANDREW ( YOUR HERO WAS FLEXING OFF HESELF ON DEM “ISLAND PEOPLE ” USING MONEY GRAM AND WESTERN UNION TO DOUBLE TAX THEM AND EVEN BRAGGED HOW HE GOT TWO MOLLION OFF THEM ISLAND PEOPLE , ( LIKE HOW HE WAS BRAGGING OHOW THIS WASN’T HIS FIRST ” RODEO ” ) NOW WE ARE DISCOVERING ITS OVE *3000 DELINQUENT EMPLOYERS THAT WAS ALLOWED TO RIPP OFF THEIR EMPLOYEES & THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT/ SO WIGGIE LETS HEAR YOU HOLLER OUT OUT ON THIS CLANDESTINE OPERATION BY YOUR HERO ” SAINT ANDREW ” / AND WE WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM THAT HYPOCTITE PASTOR WHO SAID THAT ” WE DON’T HAVE ANY CORRUPTION HERE ” ) ALSO FROM THE OTHER TWO FAKE HOLY MEN FROM CGB CSC & THE BISH-UP, WHO HAS THROWN THEIR BIBLES IN THE GABBAGE AND PLAYING POLITICIANS NOW, WE WAITING TO SEE HOW WIGGIE IS GOING EMBELISH THIS ONE .