Government aims to bring all pensioners under FutureCare next year amid complaints from hard-up seniors left out in the first year of the new health scheme.

FutureCare began in April bringing in 3,100 pensioners those already on the basic Health Insurance Plan (HIP), those turning 65 during 2009 and those eligible for financial assistance.

But left-out pensioners have complained they are still paying high premiums for their private health coverage and are not allowed to switch.

At a public meeting about FutureCare in Paget yesterday, one 68-year-old pensioner wanted to know if there was a waiting list to get on FutureCare, only to be told 'no' by Government.

She said a "very basic" private health care plan was costing her and her 76-year-old husband $1,350 a month but was about to rise by about 22 percent next month.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, told The Royal Gazette: "I had planned to stay on my (former) work scheme for six months and then switch to FutureCare but I found I couldn't switch.

"I am concerned I won't get on FutureCare next year.

"I am having to take money out of my savings but it is going to eat my savings up really, really fast."

And one 81-year-old pensioner told this paper that affordable health coverage from his former employer had just run out.

Now he was being quoted prices of $4-600 a month but without major medical coverage.

He said: "I think this is rubbish. Government should do better."

However, Health Minister Nelson Bascome said help was on the way under FutureCare from next year.

He said: "We have a pretty static population of about 7,000 seniors, almost half of them are covered by us.

"Next year we are looking to bring it in for everyone, that is what we are looking at but we cannot make that determination until we see the figures from this year."

Mr. Bascome said Government was keeping a close eye on how the first year ran to make necessary adjustments.

"There won't be any means test. We may have to phase out some of the benefits. There are a number of different things that can happen to introduce it to everyone."

The scheme increases benefits way beyond that offered by Government's basic HIP package, even offering overseas treatment.

Health Insurance Department director Colin Anderson told yesterday's meeting that Government was researching the best deals for sending patients overseas for services not available here.

He said health care costs varied wildly in the States. In California some hospitals inflated their bills by four times what they were really worth as a hard-line tactic in negotiations with insurance companies.

Mr. Anderson added: "Some large prestigious university hospitals are very expensive, while we have a habit of visiting those places but you can go to a hospital of similar or better quality and pay less than a third of the price."

The lower labour costs of some quality hospitals in the developing world also made them a good option said Mr. Anderson.

"We may even throw in a vacation for those in some nice exotic place for you to recover, (we) still pay less than half."

Mr. Anderson told the audience at the Evangelical Church that FutureCare offered better drug benefits than HIP, which covered just $1,200 in any given year, while FutureCare will cover up to $2,000.

From "mid-summer" FutureCare will cover 80 percent of the cost of each drug purchase but for the moment it is paying 100 percent of the cost as people get used to the co-payment aspect.

Mr. Anderson said FutureCare had moved to the co-payment principle to stop possible abuse, such as people buying drugs they didn't need simply to sell them on.