Individual, pharmacy and overseas portability claims to the Government's Health Insurance Plan HIP are now being reimbursed within 60 days.

The announcement was made by Warren Jones, Permanent Secretary of Health in a letter to the editor in this paper today. (see page 4)

Since last year when the former Health Minister, Philip Perinchief admitted there was a backlog of reimbursements for HIP, the issues surrounding timely reimbursements have been in the media.

In a recent survey by this paper, at least five physician's offices admitted they have to ask for payment up front for services because they cannot wait for HIP's reimbursement.

Seventeen other doctor's said they were not pleased with the progress that had been made and six said they were either receiving the payments within a month or were happy with the progress.

In a Letter to the Editor, Mr. Jones said the Department of Social Insurance is working on it and he wanted to reassure the public that everything they could, was being done.

He said: "Individual, pharmacy and overseas portability claims are now being met within a 60 day window.

"Physician and laboratory claims are a far cry from where they were a year ago but we readily admit that we are not consistently turning them around in an acceptable time frame. Our goal is to get all payments out within a 30 – 60 day period."

HIP costs $202.28 every month for a person under the age of 65 and anyone over 65 it is $186.96. For seniors the money can be taken directly out of their pension.

Earlier this month the daughter of a deceased senior, said she was still trying to track down a reimbursement for her mother's doctor.

Even though payments for her mother's HIP insurance were taken out of her pension every month and the visit in question was in 2006, the doctor's office had still not been reimbursed.

Mr. Jones, however, explained in his letter that the Department of Social Insurance began addressing its backlog of claims with the organisation with the greatest volume of claims — BHB.

The target was to turn around those claims in 30 days and Mr. Jones said that had been reached.

Then work began on outstanding claims for individuals, physicians, laboratories, pharmacies and overseas portability.

Also assisting the department with tackling these claims is an off-the-shelf automated system to help and the Department is awaiting Cabinet approval before a vendor is selected for a long-term solution.

He added in the letter: "We are making good and steady progress. However, we will not rest until we consistently accomplish a 30 – 60 day turnaround of all claims.

"Every day brings us closer to this goal. Staff are working diligently towards this end and they have my thanks for their efforts to date.

"We make no excuses and seek no special dispensation from the public.

"We simply wish to let them know that we take this matter seriously, we are committed to improving the service we offer and ask them to make contact with us if they have concerns about that service."