AMMAN — The
Islamic Action Front party (IAF) proposed setting up an independent public
institution to run health insurance services nationwide, similar to the Social
Security Corporation (SSC).
اضافة اعلان
The proposal,
entitled the comprehensive “Jordan Vision 2030, came in IAF’s sixth general
assembly meeting, which elected the 18-seat Shura, or consultative council, and
the party’s secretary-general.
SSC, however,
said the proposal was not viable because health insurance is the prerogative of
the corporation and its administration cannot be handed over to another
institution.
IAF said the
“Jordan Vision 2030” is based on a long-term strategic vision in various
economic and social sectors, to be carried out in stages aimed at achieving
stable and balanced economic development and sustainable economic, health and
social well-being for the Jordanian society in 2030.
The strategic
plan includes an extensive section on the health sector and its insurance and
proposed IAF’s solutions.
Murad
Al-Adayleh, IAF’s newly-elected secretary-general, said health insurance was
only a “small part” of the “Jordan Vision 2030”.
The plan, he
said, was devised over a period of 30 months by 350 economic and development
specialists and comprised approximately 90 strategic objectives, 318
initiatives, and 112 projects in an attempt to correct and rectify imbalances
and propose solutions.
IAF hopes that
the implementation of the strategy will allow for solving several problems such
as unemployment and poverty, improve the social situation in general, and raise
the Jordanian economy’s overall growth level, transforming it from a developing
to an emerging economy, Adayleh said.
Commenting on
the possibility of an institution running health insurance, SSC spokesperson
Shaman Al-Majali said “there is little understanding of its dimension to offer
an opinion on it”.
He affirmed to
Jordan News that health insurance is the duty of the SSC and that it must be
obtained through the corporation.
But he noted
that it may be possible to have other institutions or entities manage health
insurance, but thy must be affiliated with SSC.
He emphasized
that
health insurance is the fifth type of insurance handled by SSC, following
old-age, disability and death insurance, work accident insurance, unemployment
insurance, and maternity insurance.
He explained
that health insurance is the only type of insurance that has yet to be
implemented.
Majali said that
the SSC intends to implement this legal requirement, which was intended to
encompass insured private-sector workers who do not have health insurance via
their institutions, as well as private sector retirees who do not have civil or
military retirement.
To accomplish
that, the wording in the law must be updated to describe the obligations of
each side, and that this step is still being studied by the SSC and its
partners, Majali added.
Musa Al-Subaihi,
an insurance and social protection expert who attended the IAF meeting, said
the idea was “great and necessary, especially since health insurance in Jordan
is twisted and scattered”.
He described how
health insurance is shared between the Ministry of Health, the
Royal Medical Services, university hospitals, the private sector, and the SSC.
According to
Subaihi, Jordan’s health insurance system is fragmented, with one-third of
Jordanians enjoying health coverage benefits, a second third with no health
insurance at all and the last batch with more than one insurance coverage.
The emergence of
an independent health insurance institution will regulate the sector for
citizens and non-citizens, and control the health insurance expenses that
result from the existing tumultuous state in the sector, he said. He added it
will also cover people with no healthcare benefits.
He emphasized
that such a step can be achieved. “All that is required is will and careful
study”, he said. He explained that previous governments and the director of the
SSC’s attempts to introduce comprehensive health insurance failed because the
issue lacked appropriate studies, scrutiny, and the involvement of experts to
establish a solid law capable of controlling the chaos of the current system.
Subaihi said there was a
decline in health insurance services in recent years. “This is the
responsibility of the government, and it is the time to have an independent
body to carry out a fair and balanced health insurance for all,” he said.
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