Seniors’ health insurance woes: rising premiums, declining benefits

By Amitabh Sharma

We were introduced to our ‘recycled teenagers’ Jenny and Stephanie couple of weeks ago, learnt about their love affairs with tech. As much as they are keeping themselves occupied, finding happiness in virtual space, but day to day realities are not bringing them joy by any stretch of the imagination.

Their struggles – like those of the two elderly ladies who were falling short of money to buy necessities at the supermarket – extend to keeping pace with the rising prices across the board.

These ladies’ and most elderly people’s main concern is paying for healthcare – in a country like Jamaica, it is important to have good health insurance to help pay for medicines, doctor’s visit, go to the dentist, get eyeglasses. It may not make sense to have a US system in place for developing country, but no one knows why it is so … and to make matters worse the premium is always going up north.

“We got a plan that supposedly subsides the premium,” said Stephanie. “But, off late the premium is getting beyond our reach, it’s been increasing ever so often.”

Unfortunately, unlike cringing on supermarket items, one can’t default or cut down on health insurance, which one can’t do without, especially the elderly.

“Sometimes, the little money we have invested helps us,” said Jenny.

“But then,” she added. “We thought we will put these savings to some good use, like taking a holiday, or visiting family and friends, or leave something behind for our children.” Only place they are unfortunately able to visit are the doctors’ offices and pharmacies.

Recently, in a meeting with the healthcare insurance company, a number of seniors gathered, and the tempers flared high. The group was very politely and ‘apologetically’ told, they will get a Christmas and New Year gift … another increase in the premium amount.

The insurance company employees’ cited ‘high usage, especially in critical care’, rising ‘risk factors’ and ‘underwriting’ as the reasons for the revision of health insurance premium with a ‘sorry for the inconvenience this may cause’, cherry on the top of this cake.

For most of the retirees’, these jargons were Greek and Swahili. And then came a barrage of questions. “Where do you think we can fork out the extra money, we are already living frugally?” One asked, “Can you please talk in English for those of us who don’t speak ‘insurance’?” or one went a step further, “Are you guys trying to help us with getting better healthcare or speeding up our journey to the graves?”

The insurance company reps didn’t have any answers, but just regurgitated “sorry for the inconvenience caused”. And whatever else they had been trained on – rattling ‘simplified’ terminologies, gobbledygook much, leaving the group of retirees more confused than ever.

At the end of the four-hour session, all that the participants could understand was that more money will be leaving their hands.

Jenny and Stephanie, and many others, now have to dig into and come up with funds from the already tight budget they have. “We feel there is no respect or the consideration for the elderly and the retirees,” said Stephanie. “We worked diligently and honestly all our lives, and were hoping for a peaceful and stress-free life, but that is not happening.”

There are a lot of unanswered questions, most of the decisions that are taken on the ‘boardroom level’, in the confines of insular air-conditioned spaces, seem to be only corporate and people friendly. One would have assumed that the actuaries would have done their due diligence … or maybe not.

And for these elderly folks, we don’t know what is going to be more fatal – the ever rising cost of living, ease of accessing healthcare or the compounded stress of keeping up the demands.

Can the elderly expect some peace of mind and dignity in their twilight years? Or is that their hopes, much like the years in their lives have a longer past and a shorter future.

(The column Postcard from Jamaica appears every Wednesday.)

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Never underestimate the elderly
How one woman defied age with purpose