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WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR SOCIAL SECURITY BY DEPUTY G.P. SOUTHERN OF ST. HELIER
ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON TUESDAY 28TH MARCH 2017
Question
Alongside the review of the Social Security Fund, will the Minister undertake to review the Health Insurance Fund and, in particular, whether the decision taken by one of her predecessors to remove prescription charges continues to be sustainable given the growth in expenditure on pharmaceutical benefit to £13.5 million in 2015?
Answer
The Health Insurance Fund is not part of the Social Security Review which is currently being undertaken by the department.
A Sustainable Primary Care Strategy for Jersey' was published in December 2015 and sets out five ambitions', one of which is payment. The funding for services, including the reintroduction of a prescription charge, remains an option for consideration and such deliberations will be made in the context of the development of primary care services and with input from partners in Health and Social Services. An external consultancy is assisting Social Security and Health and Social Services with an assessment of current funding and payment systems in primary care, and the role of prescription charges will be considered in the context of this wider review.
The Health Insurance Fund is subject to actuarial review at five year intervals. The last review reported on the condition of the fund as at 31 December 2012, therefore a further review is due which will consider the condition of the fund as at 31 December 2017. This review will be undertaken during the summer of 2018 when all claims on the Health Insurance Fund have been processed and activity in the fund for the period of the review (2013 to 2017) is stable.