RETIREMENT used to be something to look forward to, but with the rising cost of health insurance, a pension of between $400 and $1,000 a month and the pending closure of the Medical Clinic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, many of Bermuda’s seniors are dreading the prospect.If there is one segment of the community that needs good health coverage, it is our seniors. Ironically, this is also the one segment of the community that lacks good health coverage.

Virtually all health insurance policies lapse when employment ceases, leaving the newly-retired facing the prospect of taking out a new and expensive health care policy at a time when their working income has stopped.

Those who cannot afford that insurance face the prospect of enormous bills for any emergency health care they might need.

Just how many of Bermuda’s 6,722 seniors lack proper health care is not known, but the situation is serious and according to seniors’ advocate, Opposition MP Louise Jackson, promises by the Government to rectify matters never materialise and the problem remains.

We know from the Government report, The Changing Face of Bermuda’s Seniors, that in 2000 there were 2,411 seniors with just basic medical insurance (which includes the Bermuda Government’s Hospital Insurance Plan) and just over 300 without any insurance at all.

Mrs. Jackson believes this figure is much higher as the cost of insurance has risen steadily since. Meanwhile private medical coverage can cost anywhere between $300 and $857 a month.

The $150 a year increase in free prescription drugs for seniors last year, she says, simply ignores the real problem.

Again, quoting the Government report: “In 2004, households headed by seniors spend $6,000 per year on health care, up from $3,000 in 1993, nearly two-thirds (65 per cent) of that expenditure was comprised of health insurance. Seniors spent just over $900 on prescriptions and medicinal drugs in 2004, up from $300 in 1993. This represented 17 percent of their health-care expenditure.”

Giving an example, Mrs.. Jackson said she knew of several diabetic seniors and those with heart conditions who spent close to $6,000 on their medications, adding that many seniors simply could not afford this with the majority of them having annual incomes of under $30,000 - the Contributory Pension Scheme’s maximum benefit is currently about $1,061 per month.

Then there’s the new problem: the closing of the Medical Clinic.

Mrs. Jackson said many seniors depended on the clinic for basic medical supplies, like special medicated bandages.

District nurses, she said, could not provide these expensive bandages and the seniors who used to depend on the Clinic were now supposed to see doctors: “I just don’t see doctors giving these away for free.”

Mrs. Jackson added she knew of one senior who resorted to using kitchen towels to bandage her ulcers.

“As for physiotherapy, if you don’t have insurance, you won’t get this done,” she said, adding that once patients left King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, they had little little support to call on.

Even worse, if they were going home alone following an operation, support could be “iffy”.

“I know of cases of people sent home and being abused by the people caring for them. Abused by people who are supposed to be caring for them and don’t,” she said. “It’s disgusting.”

Then there are seniors who do have HIP, but because there medication (for treating diabetes for example) is so expensive, that many use less than they are supposed to in an effort to make it last as long as possible - putting their health at risk.

“They get $1,000 pension and pay $178 or so for HIP, pay their rent and bills and are left with $100 for the rest of the month,” she elaborated. “These people are living in abject poverty and some don’t qualify for financial aid because they have money in the bank, some as much as $5,000, but you ask them about this money and they tell you it’s for their burial and they won’t touch it.”

To cite the Government report again: “In 2000, there were 1,040 persons 65 years and older suffering from a long-term health condition that affected some aspect of their lives. This was 176 fewer than the 1,216 reported in 1991. The leading disabling health conditions that afflicted the elderly population were arthritis, heart condition, high blood pressure, mobility difficulties, diabetes and impaired vision.”

A survey from Ageing in Bermuda>reveals that that 28 per cent of seniors, and 39 per cent of older seniors, thought their health insurance was not adequate for doctors’ visits or medication coverage.

Mrs. Jackson pointed out that the United Bermuda Party believes the long-term solution can be the development of medical pension plans - which also featured in the 2003 UBP election manifesto - or health savings accounts as they are known in the United States.

“While many of us tend to think that our cost of living will go down when we retire, the fact of the matter is that when it comes to health care, our cost of living is likely to go up if present trends continue and are not arrested,” she warned.

Referring back to the Changing Face of Bermuda’s Senio$>: “Improvements in lifestyles, technology, medicine and education have all resulted in increased longevity.

“As people live longer, they will inevitably face more illnesses and disabilities, which will increase the demand for health products and services. In 2003, the health sector accounted for 4.1 per cent of Bermuda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is higher than the 3.7 per cent measured in 1996. In other words, the health sector produced a total value of goods and services valued at roughly $164 million in 2003 compared to $100 million in 1996.”

The survey also found that between 1950 and 2000, the number of individuals aged 65 years and older rose from 2,135 to 6,722 - the elderly population in Bermuda has grown faster than the total population over the last 50 years.

Mrs. Jackson said since seniors sacrificed to build the Bermuda that each of us enjoy today, the least the Government can do is guarantee that their golden years are free from neglect and abuse.