Independent MP Wayne Furbert has blasted his former UBP colleagues for criticising Government's new FutureCare programme, asking them: "What is your alternative?"

The former Opposition leader, who quit the party in December, told The Royal Gazette he was sick of hearing the new affordable seniors' health insurance programme being ripped apart by UBP politicians such as Shadow Health Minister Louise Jackson.

"What's wrong with Louise?" he said. "Louise has to stop it. In one breath she talks about Government not funding all the seniors and then in the other breath she says that it's [costing] too much money.

"You can't have it two ways. From what I can see, the Government has put together a plan and most people have bought into it; most people realise that our seniors for years have been suffering.

"Seniors have not been able to get the care they want. Here is a government that's come up with an idea. When you ask the UBP what is their plan for health care for helping seniors, there is no plan.

"They have no alternative. What is your alternative? There is no alternative they have come up with."

The former Health Minister admitted frankly: "The UBP had no plan for health care, even under me."

Mr. Furbert added: "I was fighting with my group to get something similar to this. I was fought off by people like Louise Jackson and Grant Gibbons. Their concern was the cost."

A scaled down FutureCare programme — initially promised to all seniors by the PLP prior to the 2007 election — was launched at the start of this month.

Health Minister Nelson Bascome said economic conditions meant it had to be limited to less than half of the Island's pensioners in its first year.

Mr. Furbert said: "During election time, politicians make many promises but you do the best you can once you get in and look at the numbers.

"They have come at least halfway and are looking at the eventuality of having everyone fit into the plan.

"There are 3,000- something seniors being helped on this plan. Under the UBP's plan it would be zero. They [the PLP] are doing something."

The backbencher said elderly people in his constituency who missed out on being included this year because they were not already enrolled in the basic state Health Insurance Plan (HIP) accepted the fact.

And he said taxpayers might have to shell out a little more to pay for it in future years — but they would do so willingly. "We find money for everything around here. Every child wants to make sure that their parents and grandparents are taken care of."

The UBP's Senate spokeswoman on health, Jeanne Atherden, responded last night. She said the party had never taken issue with the concept of FutureCare but she described its rollout as "inept".

"What we do object to is the fact that this programme, which promised seniors so much during the 2007 election, has done nothing but disappoint them since," said Sen. Atherden. "It is one more example of a rash political promise taking precedence over sound planning."

She said there remained "huge questions" about who was eligible, who would be eligible in future and the benefits on offer.

"There is still no simple brochure for seniors to look at to see FutureCare's benefits and costs.

"Also, there are major questions about the economic sustainability of FutureCare. Government by its own admission has already demonstrated that it cannot afford to do a full rollout of FutureCare by arbitrarily limiting the number of applicants."

The Senator said the Opposition had included a comprehensive health care plan for seniors in previous election manifestos, supported by Mr. Furbert and aimed at "plugging the gaps".