The Department of Health Regulatory Services (DHRS) is pleased to announce plans on moving towards full online services for its health insurance stakeholders. This move is to increase efficiency and enhance oversight and consumer protection in the Cayman Islands.
DHRS has begun to implement the online services with the launch of a process that regulates how the health insurance policy terminations are being dealt with when premiums are not paid, in accordance with the Health Insurance Act (2021 Revision) and Health Insurance Regulations (2017) Revision). This also includes the statutory requirement of the approved insurers to report on all policies where the premiums are not paid.
Honourable Katherine Ebanks-Wilks, Minister for Health, Environment and Sustainability said: “The launch of electronic services for health insurance stakeholders is the first pivotal move that aims to promote comprehensive healthcare protection throughout the Cayman Islands. Moving DHRS’s services online is about making government work smarter, more sustainably and much more efficiently. This is the beginning of modernising the way that the Department functions. At the heart of this change is a simple idea, that everyone deserves access to services that are easy to reach, easy to understand, and built for the world we live in today.”
Tamara Ebanks, Chief Officer for the Ministry of Health, Environment and Sustainability, said:
“Moving health insurance services fully online not only modernises our systems to better serve the public, but also reinforces our commitment to sustainability and responsible governance. By streamlining operations and reducing reliance on paper-based processes, we are improving performance, strengthening oversight, and building a future-ready, environmentally-conscious service for both providers and the people of the Cayman Islands.”
The Health Insurance Commission (HIC), a regulatory body within the Department is responsible for regulating health insurance in the Cayman Islands and the ensures that the public receives assistance in resolving complaints about health insurance services. It is anticipated that the Policy Termination process will launch by 14 July 2025 with further online enhancements to follow.
Mervyn Conolly, Superintendent of Health Insurance, said: “The rollout for the HIC over the next six to eighteen months will also include transactions relating to the Segregated Insurance Fund, online payments, on-site inspection as well as all HIC paper forms; including complaints, filing of new CPT Codes, and filing of health insurance enrollment applications for high risk persons.”
What to expect
Previously, the HIC provided letters manually to employers and employees, seeking compliance with Section 5(2) of the Health Insurance Act. Under the new online service, the HIC will send letters in the form of an automated email, from the email address: HIC@gov.ky . The HIC urges recipients of the electronic letters to respond to the Commission within the requested time frame. The recipients can expect frequent and consistent communication to ensure that enquiries are dealt with quickly and thoroughly. Where necessary, DHRS will ask individuals to provide proof of valid health insurance coverage with a locally approved insurer. This proof can be receipts of payment, or a letter from their insurance provider stating that the policies are now paid up to date.
Mr. Conolly added: “It is our aim to provide internal and external customers with the ability to conduct all of their transactions electronically so that the services are delivered in a timely and seamless manner.”
Comments (0)
We appreciate your feedback. You can comment here with your pseudonym or real name. You can leave a comment with or without entering an email address. All comments will be reviewed before they are published.