Mr. Davis Fleming, a Social Security pensioner at Island Harbour, has lauded the system from which he is benefitting, and has spoken about an area of service where he would like to see its contributory functions extended.
“I am very thankful to Social Security. It means a lot to me and I would say that it could mean more to the people of Anguilla if it could do a little more in the area of health,” he said. “We need Social Security to come on board at the hospital because that institution really needs a lot more assistance.”
Mr. Fleming, a taxi driver, was speaking during the Social Security’s pensioners’ luncheon on Thursday, November 5. “This activity they are having today makes me proud because it shows young people that they too can enjoy this when they become pensioners.”
Director of Social Security, Mr. Timothy Hodge, replied to Mr. Fleming’s statement in relation to contributing to health. “Social Security has a vested interest in health,” he stated. “Healthy people need social security and unhealthy and disabled people claim social security, so when they healthy, they pay us – and when they are not healthy, we pay them. So it is a double-whammy. When you get sick earlier, you claim benefits earlier and you also stop paying earlier. Whereas a healthy person would pay longer…so we have an interest in keeping people healthy and we want people in Anguilla to live and enjoy their lives.
“We are interested in healthcare and the financing of healthcare. You would have heard, for example, about National Health Insurance. This is something that we are interested in and we are going to do, but we have to do it properly. Last year there was a pilot project…It was from November last year to the end of October [2015]. That period is ended and really, and truly, we have nothing that we can learn from it – other than how not to do it. We will do things properly and will eventually have a National Health Insurance system in Anguilla that functions and serves the people of Anguilla properly.”
