Agencies that provide aid to families and children say they are “eager to work with Government to arrive at a win-win solution” to combat rising costs impacting their clients and the organisations themselves.

The Inter-Agency Committee for Children and Families (IAC) went public this week to air their concerns about rising insurance costs.

Chairwoman Martha Dismont said there is also concern about other costs, including electricity, as well as new government fees that are burdening the organisations. “We believe that consistent consultation with those impacted by decisions is the right approach, and we look forward to working with the minister of health as she has indicated that she is willing to meet with agencies to discuss what can be done.”

IAC is not new — it was founded in 1996 when Ms Dismont, who is also the founder and executive director of Family Centre, invited public and private organisations which provide helping services to children and families to meet for the purpose of building collaboration and shared standards.

Now IAC, which includes 44 organisations and individuals, expressed their concern for rising health insurance costs.

Chairperson of IAC member Age Concern’s Advocacy Committee Charles Jeffers said: “With regard to impact to senior citizens, tremendous strain was being felt with respect to the costs of GEHI to a non-employed spouse — typically a widow or widower — has risen to $494.02 per month or $114 per week, and is set to rise again by almost $100 more in January 2016.

“Likewise, Future Care premiums are also set to rise by July 1, 2015. As it stands, FutureCare premiums are $450 per month.

“According to the 2010 Census the median pension is $1,283 per month or $296 per week in social insurance income which leaves an average of about $200 per week left for the average pensioner subscribing to FutureCare or GEHI to live on after health insurance coverage alone.

“For some pensioners, health insurance coverage consumes their entire pension.”

Ms Dismont said: “Some issues cut across all families and health insurance is one of them.

“Our aim is to ensure families and children represented by agencies have a proper continuum of care, and to some degree a social safety net.”

“...And affordable and quality care,” added vice chairman of the organisation Nadine Lapsley-Dyer, who is also the manager of the charities accreditation Bermuda National Standards Committee.

Ms Dismont said: “We don’t want the system to be conducive to people being forced to make decisions like: “Do I feed my child, or pay health insurance? Or the Belco bill?”

She added: “I do have the deepest sympathy for all business organisations on the Island,” explaining she is aware the economic downturn has cut through the community.

“It’s not good enough to just say, ‘What can we do about it?’ We have to get this addressed from an interagency perspective.

“More and more service providers and individuals in the economy are going to stand up to this. More organisations — social services organisations — are going to stand up and say, ‘We are going to come to a solution — a win-win solution’.”

Among the IAC’s initiatives, to show the effect of these cost rises, is to collect information about the impact to clients, provided by member organisations, and show it to the Government.

She added that figures show that non-profit agencies can provide services at a third of the cost of a government agency.

“We all feel it’s an urgent situation,” she said,” while Ms Lapsley Dyer added: “The collective collaboration brings forward solutions.

“Government needs to know they are not in this alone, but they have to consult with us so we can show how we can help.

“We are directly working with families and children — are talking from experience.”