The Department of Health Regulatory Services (DHRS) is planning to move all services for its health insurance stakeholders online.
The aim is to increase efficiency, and enhance oversight and consumer protection in the Cayman Islands, a press release said on 10 July.
The department is about to launch a process that regulates how the health insurance policy terminations are being dealt with when premiums are not paid.
It is being implemented 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.
It is anticipated that the policy termination process will launch by 14 July with further online enhancements to follow.
Health minister Katherine Ebanks-Wilks said it 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,” she said.
“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.”
The Health Insurance Commission (HIC), a regulatory body within the department, is responsible for regulating health insurance in the Cayman Islands.
It ensures that the public receives assistance in resolving complaints about health insurance services.
The rollout over the next six to 18 months will also include transactions relating to the Segregated Insurance Fund, online payments, and on-site inspection.
All HIC paper forms will go online including complaints, filing of new CPT Codes, and filing of health insurance enrollment applications for high-risk persons.
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, the press release said.
Where necessary, DHRS will ask people 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.
