During the month of November, Virgin Islanders will have the historic opportunity to provide recommendations to the territory’s Health Reform Task Force during a series of public outreach and focus group meetings in both districts. 

As part of an effort to generate feedback on the accessibility of healthcare services in the Virgin Islands, the community will have the opportunity to explore the feasibility of developing a Health Insurance Exchange, where affordable health insurance plans may be sold to individuals and small business owners. These objectives are part of the health insurance exchange planning grant received from the federal government this year to assist with implementing the Affordable Care Act, as signed by President Barack Obama in 2010.

Governor de Jongh created the Health Reform Task Force to implement applicable portions of the recently enacted federal health reform law. Through the health insurance exchange planning grant, the Virgin Islands is exploring avenues to increase insurance coverage for uninsured residents. The task force seeks the community’s input in selecting the best options for the territory and has scheduled numerous dialogue platforms to discuss these critical issues.

The governor is encouraging Virgin Islanders to be part of the discussion to reform the territory’s healthcare system. “With the Affordable Care Act, President Obama put the keys to improving our healthcare and other quality of life issues within our hands,” he said. “We have a unique opportunity to redesign how we deliver healthcare to all Virgin Islanders, especially those in most need.”

The public meetings will explore ways to enhance access to health insurance for Virgin Islanders. A major focus will be increasing opportunities for the uninsured to secure health insurance coverage, thereby removing barriers to their ability to access healthcare services. In addition to conducting in-person meetings and via opportunities to solicit comments via call-in radio programs, the task force is asking residents to communicate their feedback via a survey.

Listen to a Public Service Announcement About the Task Force Meetings .mp3 (2MB)

Through December 7th, representatives of the task force will make a targeted effort to reach many of the territory’s sub-populations to include the homeless, senior citizens, residents ages 18 to 30, and other groups that are reported to have specific challenges in accessing healthcare. Meetings will also be held with medical providers and members of the business community to solicit their input, and additional small group meetings will be held with insurance providers, agents and brokers to address ways to attract additional health plan carriers to the territory, among other issues.

Lieutenant Governor Francis, who serves as the chairman of the Health Reform Task Force, reminds residents that their voices matter as the territory embarks on this historic initiative to reform healthcare. “The task force needs to hear from the community, what works and even what doesn’t work, in our existing system. Help us to create a system that best serves the needs of our community,” he stated.

Throughout the month-long public awareness campaign, the task force will seek to connect with as many residents as possible through various radio, TV and social media platforms.

For a full calendar of the planned events and to access a health reform survey, visit www.governordejongh.com/healthreform.