Employers fined for failing to pay health insurance
(CNS): According to a government report the owners of a local janitorial company have been fined for failing to provide an employee with health insurance. The case, brought by the Health Insurance Commission against Burnell and Amy Hurlston, trading as Hurlston Janitorial Services, also included two charges of unlawful deduction from an employee.
Category: Local News
I agree with the posts on here but seeing that the Health Insurance Commission is just waking up from its long siesta of doing nothing and is now crawling out there to do a little something it is probably good for us to applaud loudly to keep them alert in that office!
The courts can only apply the fees that are in the law and the goodly H I Commissioner might consider advocating higher fees as a deterrent. He is being paid to do a job and part of that job is to make recommendations to the Government for improvements to thelaw that governs his office’s capabilities to perform.
Immigration, Labour and everyone else have been picking up the slack and trying to deal with health insurance abuse when we have a "Commission" that is charged with ensuring that every person in the Cayman Islands is medically ensured.If that office is made to perform properly and not continue in its now established laid back attitude towards doing business, then a lot of the problems we are facing today with health insurance issues would be resovled.
This is a national disgrace & embarrasement . Employers are laughing all the way to the bank.
Did the superintendent of Health Insurance say "I am satisfied with the outcome of this case" . $300 will not deter repetious acts.
Not paying the coverage for the Heath Insurance for an employee is just a uncaring act and just awful. But, if the Judge only rules for $300.00 this is worse. Year after year work permits are renewed I wonder if Immigration is doing checks with the Insurance Co to make sure the insurance is in place. When an employee is treated this way I Call This Abuse. Hopefully as we move forward more checks will be made and also Employers will find it in their hearts to treat the employee fairly.
I agree with the previous posters this is not the right message to be sending out. There are many employers out there making their labourers pay for their own work permits and not obtaining any medical insurance for them. Add to that the insurers ridiculous exclusions policies for minor ailments that would not even be considered for exclusion elsewhere, not to mention the unreasonably high cost of health insurance here compared to other countries, I agree its time something was done with the law and the regulations to address this in a more stringent manner. While they’re at it, perhaps they could deal with the unreasonable "episodes of illness" and $1 mill lifetime limitations as I have come across several people with critical conditions who have been prevented from getting essential urgent treatment due to these regulations. The law and the regulations need to be drafted in a more realistic way. And considering the ridiculously high premiums, travel and accommodation expenses when travel is required for treatment should come as standard.
What an embarrassment!!! This is up there with the Pension abusers….All these comments made even by the LOGB that "we know who you are" ……….yet nothing is being done about it? Why are these people untouchables??
Employers will continue to flaunt the law because what is there to be afraid of? $300 $500 is a slap on the wrist and a waste of the courts time. Our laws really need to be amended!!!!
$300.00 thats it….this message sends out it is cheaper to take the fines then pay the Health Insurance. Wasn’t this the same a few months ago on a security company who didn’t have health insurance was fine just $500.00????