EQUALIZATION OF FZOG-HEALTH CARE PACKAGE AND ACTIVE CIVIL SERVANTS HEALTH CARE PACKAGE
Concerning the equalization of the FZOG health care package with the active civil servants health care package the union representative from ABVO in the Advisory Committee for the National Health Insurance System for Sint Maarten Raymond Jessurun, informed the meeting that the island government of Sint Maarten has decided to provide all citizens of Sint Maarten the basic health care package of the Netherlands. This was decided upon by two consecutive executive councils to be implemented in the new national health insurance system. This will be an improvement of all health care packages now being provided in the island.
PREMIUM SAVINGS FOR PENSIONERS IN SINT MAARTEN
Furthermore, he informed the meeting of premium calculations made by financial actuarial experts that will give the pensioners a substantial saving on their premium in the National Health Insurance System. The 10% of their pension income currently being paid to the FZOG-fund, also the 10.4% the SVB sickness insurance fund is collecting from private sector pensioners every month, definitely will be reduced substantially because of the larger scale of the NHI-fund. Pensioners were informed that two consecutive executive councils have already agreed to charge all citizens on Sint Maarten a 2.1% premium for the sickness insurance (5 times less than the premium they pay now) and a 2 % premium for the AVBZ for chronic diseases and treatments as the premium to be paid by all for the National Health Insurance.
The pensioners in the meeting were asked if they agree to wait for this substantial savings in their monthly premium another 14 months until 1-1-2012 as the government announced during the recent budget debate in the Island Council, or if they want government and the unions to guarantee this saving before or ultimately on 10-10-10 as has been promised in the meeting of august 2009 between the executive council of Sint Maarten and the civil servants unions on Sint Maarten? All pensioners by acclamation want this premium reduction to come into effect this year as soon as possible ultimately on 10-10-10.
PENSIONERS ASSOCIATION TO BE ESTABLISHED
The meeting concluded by forming a commission consisting of Elaine Gumbs-Vlaun, Carl Cooner, Frances Rovelet, Lloyd Temmer, Edo Larmonie and Patricia Flanders to establish an association of pensioners on Sint Maarten to defend the rights of older persons in Sint Maarten. A next general meeting will be called to inform the pensioners of the results of the meeting requested by the unions with the Executive Council of Sint Maarten to address the problems of the FZOG-card holders with the FZOG-fund.
