At a time when the National Health Insurance programme has been struggling with funding woes, a plan to use taxpayers’ money to provide supplemental health insurance for House of Assembly members was shelved after it sparked outrage among some community members and a public spat between the government and opposition.

On Saturday, talk show host Cindy Rosan-Jones led a small motorcade through the streets of Tortola to protest the plan, which came to public attention when a request for proposals for the insurance service was published on May 26.

“If NHI is good enough for us, it’s good enough for them,” the protestors chanted.

The day after the protest, Opposition Leader Marlon Penn re-leased a statement denouncing the RFP and claiming that there was “no consensus by all members of the HOA” to issue the notice.

But the government quickly fired back.

“I’m appalled by the duplicitous announcements by the opposition members who now seek to distance themselves from the facts surrounding the tender notice to provide insurance coverage,” Health and Social Development Minister Carvin Malone wrote Tuesday in a WhatsApp message.

Later that night, Acting Premier Dr. Natalio “Sowande” Wheatley echoed Mr. Malone’s
sentiments, but said the proposal had been shelved for now.

“Notwithstanding the political pandering and flip-flopping from the opposition, … your government has taken a decision to halt the tender for the insurance service for current and former HOA members, so that we can have further deliberations among the members of the HOA and also to consider the views of the public on the matter,” Dr. Wheatley said.

The tender notice called for locally based insurance companies to provide quotes for plans that include coverage of pre-existing conditions, major medical insurance, worldwide 24-hour-a-day coverage, a customer service call centre with 24-hour access, a local office or agent, substantial term life insurance for the insured and their dependents, and disability insurance.

The notice stated that the tender process — which presumably will be cancelled now — was open until June 29.

Opposition attack

In Mr. Penn’s Sunday statement, he painted a picture of an opposition unanimously opposed to the proposal outlined in the RFP.

“Providing background information, the opposition members disclosed that in reviewing recommendations and studies made to former Legislative Assemblies, a proposal was introduced to the HOA for supplemental health care insurance to be considered for current and former members,” his statement explained.

Subsequently, he noted, a steering group was established with opposition member Melvin “Mitch” Turnbull appointed as its lead because of his expertise in the insurance field.

“The objective of the steering group was to explore the feasibility of the recommendations made by HOA members,” Mr. Penn wrote.

The statement went on to say that Mr. Turnbull was tasked with providing a report to the HOA informing members whether the procurement of private health insurance “was ready for tender, along with recommendations on how to proceed.”

Opposition members discussed the findings of the steering group with Mr. Turnbull following an “informal meeting” of the HOA on April 27, Mr. Penn said.

“The proposal before the steering group for review included benefits that were neither a part of nor discussed in the informal meeting,” he alleged. “Additionally, of particular concern was the proposal for life insurance benefit. As such, we agreed that we could no longer support the proposal which had now gone beyond its intended purpose.”

He added that Mr. Turnbull’s request to submit his report recommending that the proposal be shelved was ignored and that government released the RFP without notifying opposition members.

He went on to say that Mr. Turnbull wrote a letter to Speaker of the House Julian Willock on Friday expressing concern that the RFP was published without his re- port being submitted.

“The members of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition, as a group, categorically state that the position of the opposition was not fully or properly considered,” Mr. Penn said.

Opposition members “strongly urged” the HOA to recall the RFP immediately.

Acting premier

However, Dr. Wheatley offered a different version of events in a lengthy statement released on Tuesday evening.

In response to Mr. Penn’s claims, he accused opposition members of “trying to distance themselves from the issue now that they perceive it to be a hot potato” after “having supported the position all along for supplemental insurance coverage for current and past legislators.”

Dr. Wheatley said the issue of HOA members’ health insurance was first raised by the HOA Committee of Privileges a few months after the 2019 general election.

Opposition members “have been involved in this matter from the inception,” he said, adding that Mr. Turnbull indicated that the matter was a long-standing issue that needed addressing.

He also stated that Mr. Turnbull was consulted by the Ministry of Finance on the contents of the RFP prior to its publication and that he raised no concerns with it.

Dr. Wheatley added that the Committee of Privileges made related recommendations to the Ministry of Finance in 2019 and that funding was allocated in the 2020 budget for the insurance packages.

“Due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, many projects and pro- grammes were slowed down, and as such the insurance matter was one of those that was put on the back- burner due to the need to attend to other matters at the time,” he wrote.

The funds were repurposed, and the issue was raised again during the 2021 budget process, he explained.

“There continued to be no objections from the member for the Second District along the lines as he is contending today,” Dr. Wheatley said.

Several discussions on the matter took place between last year and April of this year, and Mr. Turnbull was copied on all the discussions, Dr. Wheatley added. Mr. Turnbull also met with the procurement officer and made changes to the final tender document, according to the acting premier.

“The member for the Second District throughout all of this has not been a silent observer, nor has he been excluded or absent in any way,” Dr. Wheatley said. “The member for the Second District has been front and centre participating actively in carrying the insurance matter forward, particularly in his role as the lead member in light of his expertise in the subject.”

Attempts to reach Mr. Turnbull were not immediately successful.

Ms. de Castro issued a statement before Dr. Wheatley on Tuesday, alleging that Mr. Penn had seen “an opportunity to pose as a bystander to the process,” and that he was being “disingenuous.”

However, she agreed with his call to stop the RFP.

“I would agree that the process should be halted so that due consideration could be given to the concerns of the people,” she added.