A leading insurance professional last night gave a message of hope that womb to tomb health coverage could be possible for Bermuda.

Argus assistant vice president Gary Weller told last night?s town hall meeting on health that Bermuda?s system worked well but cut out many seniors.

He said: ?Most of the employers don?t provide retirees? insurance.?

Instead people had to fork out the full cost of insurance or rely on basic Government cover.

?One of the recommendations I would like to make is we need to go toward some form of coverage for all men, woman and children from the womb to the tomb.?

He said he wasn?t advocating national health coverage like in other countries because although they had full coverage, whether people were working or not, they had inefficiencies.

?We need to find a way to insure everyone all the time. That?s going to involve a lot of work.

?Insurers can come together and work this out rather than have a national scheme because national schemes become even more expensive and cumbersome.? He said insurers needed to establish some sort of community rating to cover everybody for the same price.

?It?s going to take a bit of work but it is possible.?

A key factor in driving up health costs here were the prices charged to patients sent for treatment in the States because treatment was unobtainable here, said Mr. Weller.

?Prices are two or three times higher than here but insurance was limited to the fee structure here in Bermuda.

?Overseas we make every effort to bring down costs by negotiating with doctors and hospitals.?

He said in the mid 1990s the Arthur Andersen report had shown Bermuda residents getting treatment in the States were being charged three times the rate paid by Americans.

?Hospitals in North America, particularly the States look at foreign patients as a revenue source. When you walk in the door they see dollar signs.

?We found a way to bring costs down. Over the last year we have reduced claims by 33 percent.?

The meeting at Cathedral Hall last night heard from a panel of health professionals who were questioned by audience members.

One audience member, who described herself a hospital health professional, called on health to become part of everybody?s consciousness ? not just those in the business.

She said architects needed to build offices with showers and gyms to allow people to exercise at lunchtimes.

And she warned Bermuda was producing a new generation of couch potatoes because children were locked in the home and snacking and watching TV while the parents were at work.

She said: ?It?s a generation of kids who are going to have major health problems.

?I am talking about kids, five year olds and eight year olds and teens pre-diabetes, 80 to 100 pounds overweight.?