Palau Chamber of Commerce health financing plan

Results of the survey provided by the Palau Chamber of Commerce revealed that businessmen agreed to the following:

• support financing scheme to cover all residents of Palau
• A medical savings account, where individuals save for future medical expenses should be part of the plan
• the plan should increase reliance on investments, local revenue, and employers to fund health care program
• to be successful, he plan should give a tax break for small business and the government should subsidize their share of the cost to the plan
• the plan should include a role for private health insurance providers
• the government should cover the costs of health insurance for dependent family members such as students, children, elderly, disabled and unemployed
• the government should cover the costs of health insurance for the elderly for longer than five years
• the government should cover the costs of health insurance for the unemployed for more than six months
• dependent family members should be part of the employee's health insurance and medical savings accounts
• $5 per month is an affordable premium for those earning less than $8,000 a year
• $50 per month is an affordable premium for those earning more than $30,000 per year
• the plan should make use of existing government ministries and agencies instead of creating a separate administrative structure
• local inpatient care, and drugs should be covered by the plan, regardless of cost
• off-island referrals should be covered by the plan with an additional premium payment

Island Times, November 18, 2008

Comments

[temekai]

a perfect recipe for the continued "begging" of funds from taiwan, japan, u.s and other contries. i don't see any formula that will pave the way to self sufficiency. same 'ol same 'ol...nothing's changed, just faces that's all. tial beluu a kmal errad.......

[akkerch]

i don't think we can truly be self-sufficient YET, but we certainly need to start thinking of other means of financing other than relying on the other nations for grants...