The National Basic Health Insurance Act entered into force on October9, 2014. This law obliges every resident in Suriname to take out at least basic health insurance. Together with the General Pension Act 2014 and the Minimum Hourly Wage Act, the National Basic Health Insurance Act is part of the Social Security System. These three laws bring many changes, not only for you but also for your family. That is why we would like to inform you in outline with this newsletter what the National Basic Health Insurance Act could mean for you.
What does the National Basic Health Insurance Act mean for you?
You are an employee:
Your employer is obliged to take out at least basic health insurance for you. Your employer must pay at least 50% of the premium for this insurance (employer's share) and you must pay the other 50% yourself. You must therefore make clear agreements with your employer about the deduction of the employee's share of the premium from your wages. You can also agree with your employer that he / she pays more than 50% of the insurance premium. You must also ensure that your employer complies with these agreements.
You are the breadwinner:
As a breadwinner, you must at least take out basic health insurance for yourself, your partner and / or children. This is not necessary for your partner and / or child, if they are already insured. You can also make agreements with your employer about the insurance of your partner and children; for example, that the employer pays all or part of the premium. According to the law, you are obliged to check whether your employer has actually paid the withheld premiums to the health insurer. If your employer fails to pay the premiums, you must report this to the Basic Care Implementation Agency.
You are an employer:
As an employer you are obliged to take out basic health insurance for your employee. You will have to make clear agreements with your employee about the withholding of the employee's share of the premium for the basic health insurance. You must pay at least 50% of the premium. You must pay the withheld premium to the health insurer in good time and provide the employee with proof of the deduction and payment. When the employment with the employee is terminated, you must report this to the health insurer within one month and indicate when the last day of the premium payment will be.
You are self-employed:
If you have your own business, you are obliged to insure yourself, your partner and / or your children against at least basic health insurance. As a self-employed person you are responsible for paying the premium to the insurer. If you decide not to continue your own company, you must notify the health insurer in writing within one month after the termination of your case.
You are insolvent:
If you are not an employee or self-employed person and you cannot pay the premium for the health insurance, you can register with the Basic Care Implementation Body. This body will check whether you are eligible for a subsidy of the premium for the basic health insurance.
What costs does this entail?
The law contains the maximum premiums that apply to the basic health insurance. The premiums are divided into different age categories. These are for people with an age of:
- 0 up to and including 16 years: SRD 55,-
- 17 up to and including 20 years: SRD 75,-
- 21 up to and including 59 years: SRD 165,-
- 60 years and older: SRD 240,-
What do you get in return?
You can insure yourself for basic health insurance with a health insurer. The health insurer is obliged to take out basic health insurance with every resident who registers. Basic health insurance must meet the minimum requirements set out by law. These requirements include care provided by qualified service providers with whom an agreement has been entered into with the health insurer, care with national coverage, care that must meet certain quality standards and requirements or standards arising from medical ethics. In short, you are entitled to basic care.
Monitoring and implementation
The Care Council is responsible for the supervision of this National Basic Health Insurance Act. This Care Council is established upon the entry into force of this Act. The Basic Care Implementation Body, which will also be established when this law comes into force, is responsible for the implementation of this Act. At the time of writing this newsletter, it was not yet known whether the Care Council and the Basic Care Implementation Body had already been established.
The Care Council and the Basic Care Implementation Body have been given certain tasks and powers by law. For example, the Care Council can impose a penalty or a fine for non-compliance with obligations laid down by law. Employers, self-employed persons, health insurers and service providers are obliged to cooperate with the Implementing Body in the implementation of this Act. Employees are obliged to notify the Basic Care Implementation Body when they establish that their employer has not paid the withheld premium to the health insurer. As an insured person you are obliged to pass on any change in your personal or family details to the health insurer. You must do this with proof from the Central Bureau for Civil Affairs (CBB).
Contact
If you have any questions regarding this newsletter, do not hesitate to contact us. You can email us at info@gideonnv.com or call us on the telephone numbers 522000 or 522001 and ask for one of our employees.