The government is moving ahead with work to establish a national health insurance scheme as part of wider efforts to strengthen public healthcare access across Anguilla.
Evans McNiel Rogers, adviser to the Ministry of Health, said officials will turn their attention to the initiative towards the end of this year and early into the first quarter of 2027.
It will require careful planning and sustainable financing before it can be implemented, he said, adding that while there is no firm timeline, it will be implemented before the government’s term ends.
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Speaking at a government press conference on 21 September, McNiel Rogers said: “It is something that definitely we have to and we will put in place, however, I believe that it shouldn’t be rushed.
“I believe that we should take our time and have a look at it and make sure that it is financed properly.”
He stressed that various agreements must be established and Anguilla’s primary and secondary care must be improved to a standard “whereby all encompass will be able to utilise this service”.
Universal Social Levy
While no mechanism to fund the national health insurance scheme has been finalised, the Universal Social Levy, established over a decade ago, has been suggested as one possible option.
An opposition motion to repeal the levy came before the Anguilla House of Assembly on 22 September, prompting debate over whether its revenues could be redirected.
McNiel Rogers spoke against its repeal and said he would instead like to “ring fence” the levy’s proceeds for the national health insurance scheme.
“Some seed money would be one of the most responsible things to do because once the national health insurance is implemented, it has to be funded, and there will be capital calls on it immediately,” he said.
He added: “We won’t have a situation, like social security for instance, where there were contributions for a decade before the first cheque was written.”
‘Work is underway’
During the debate on the motion, which was ultimately rejected, Premier Cora Richardson Hodge confirmed that “work is underway” to advance the national health insurance scheme.
“Government remains committed to strengthening access to healthcare and to putting in place a framework that is sustainable, fair and capable of supporting the needs of the population over the long term,” she said.
“That work includes determining the benefits to be provided, the cost of those benefits, how the arrangements would operate in practice and the most appropriate mix of financing to support them.”
The premier said it must work alongside the public health services already being funded and strengthened, and it must provide clarity and certainty for patients about the care available to them.
“The work on national health insurance is therefore part of that wider effort to strengthen the health system and improve financial protection for the people of Anguilla. This work is underway,” she said.
The government had previously listed the National Health Insurance (Amendment) Act in its legislative agenda in April 2025.
