Government has set up research teams to explore how health coverage can be extended to seniors.

Acting Financial Secretary Peter Sousa said: "There are a lot of initiatives going on. Government is aware of the concern and is concerned itself. We are undertaking research to look at a number of options."

Last November Government promised to extend health coverage to seniors who are dropped from insurance policies when they retire.

Transport Minister Dr. Ewart Brown had said there were seniors who stopped going to the doctor because they had retired and could no longer afford it. Sometimes doctors treated them for free. He said some ended up using the hospital emergency room as their GP.

Mr. Sousa said Government needed to find out how many people were uncovered at retirement.

One option was to extend the hospital benefit plan, another was to continue the minimum insurance cover provided by the employer into retirement.

Government also had to work out how new cover was going to be paid for.

Mr. Sousa said: "Is Government going to spread cases over all insurance policies or take it from tax? We need hard data."

He said staff in the Finance Department were collaborating with colleagues in the Health Ministry but he did not know when the research would be completed or when it started.