Anguillian-born Dr Lanny Hobson has assumed responsibility for the Anguilla Social Security Board National Health Insurance (NHI) Pilot Project which is to be officially launched in November coming.
Dr Hobson, whose training is in Forensic Medicine, has just returned to the island from the United States. He appeared at a Stakeholders’ Forum at the Rodney MacArthur Rey Auditorium on Tuesday evening, September 2, to speak on health insurance matters in relation to his new role in Anguilla, but mainly to answer questions.
His first degree was in Chemistry and Physics from the University of the Virgin Islands. He holds two Master’s Degrees – one in Meteor Science and Engineering and the other in Physics. He studied at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. He did his medical training at American University of Antigua; post-graduate training at the University of Miami and the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The areas of his post-graduate training were Forensic Medicine and Dermatology.
“Originally, I was based in the United States of America, but now I am going to be based here for at least a year and possibly more as the NHI is turned into a permanent fund,” he told The Anguillian just before the start of the forum. “I will be working only with the NHI, and sometimes with the Red Cross but on a volunteer basis so that we can also start to provide some free healthcare. “The mission of the NHI is to provide to as many people as possible. Many reports have been done over twenty years, and within the last ten years we had three different reports. They all highlighted the same thing that we are concerned about: preventive care and primary care.”
Dr Hobson said he had been working in the NHI field for insurance companies in several parts of the United States including North and South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, delivering healthcare directly to patients at their jobs. “Many people have insurance, but they don’t utilise it,” he stated in speaking about the provisions of the NHI. “It is also good for insurance companies to have information on patients, even though they are spending money to do the preventive exam. Overall, it saves money. The patient gets to know the information and they leave the session after ten minutes with that information. We give that to them on their cholesterol, blood pressure, height and weight. We also give them nutrition counselling and counselling on exercise – keys to prevention.”
Dr Hobson is happy to be home to provide his skills. “Definitely,” he said, “because while America has a lot of physicians and talent, to be able to start something fresh and new here in Anguilla, in a cost-effective way, and to help our citizens as much as possible, is a great adventure to be on.”
He said for now his appointment was NHI Project Manager, changing eventually to CEO, but his functions would basically remain the same. Asked what the aim of the project was in a nutshell, he replied: “To increase access to primary health care for our patients, to get as many of them covered as much as possible, and to drive down cost.”
Dr Hobson will be occupying an office in the Ronald Webster Social Security Building and using the expertise of the Social Security Staff.
He is the son of Mr and Mrs Richard Hobson of Rey Hill.
