The National Health Council has received a “high level of response” for the National Health Plan as written submissions continue to pour in.A Health Ministry spokeswoman said it was “premature to provide numbers at this stage as more responses are still arriving in the post every day”.But said to date they had received several dozen written submissions, which is the most they have ever received for a consultation process.According to the spokeswoman, healthcare reform didn’t happen overnight. She said the consultation period, which officially wrapped up last weekend, was just the “beginning of a long process”.The National Health Plan, unveiled by Health Minister Zane DeSilva in February, lists 11 recommendations to improve equity and sustainability in the Island’s healthcare system.Last month scores of people took to mediums such as Facebook and attended public meetings to express their views on the topic.Insurance companies have also voiced their support and concern about the wide-sweeping reforms.President of The Argus Group, Gerald Simons, said the plan had many commendable recommendations, such as holding insurance companies more accountable.But he admitted very few of the aims had been fully developed, adding that such details “were never meant to be made public at this time”.Speaking last week, he said: “The issue that most are concerned about is the financing side of it and the international companies are very concerned because the concept of paying premiums on the ability to pay would lead to a shift in cost to international companies.“And many of us in Bermuda are concerned about the cost of doing business, as it is important not to raise that cost for international companies, so that is a real challenge that we all have to work through and work around.“So there are no simple solutions and that is a concern I have addressed to the Ministry.”Naz Farrow, the chief operating officer for health at Colonial Insurance, called the reforms “admirable”, but claimed the public had not been well enough informed.“The message has not reached the public on how health reform might impact the economy, their employer, the administration of their plan, their doctor, the insurance industry, and ultimately their access to the best of healthcare when it is needed.“We have numerous concerns that a system that has served the public well for decades will be unnecessarily overturned. The new plan may call for more Government administrative involvement and the impact of this requires further evaluation.“We are in agreement that some reform is needed to the current legislative framework, which is outdated and does not address-manage how modern day healthcare is delivered and administered in Bermuda.”The Ministry of Health spokeswoman disagreed with the comment and said: “The current system works well if you’re healthy, employed, and earning a good salary. If you fall outside those categories the system shows its defects.“The only part of the system that may face significant reform is the financing element. The provision of healthcare would remain as it is presently.“The reason why the financing mechanism needs reforming is because the existing system leaves too many people without coverage, or with insufficient coverage.”Approximately ten percent of the Island’s population is believed to be living without insurance. This is about the same as the population of Devonshire, said the spokeswoman.“While some stakeholders find 90 percent coverage acceptable, it is important to appreciate that it is a level of performance that compares very unfavourably to other developed countries.”She said the financial modelling, the next phase of the National Health Plan, would try to improve key flaws in the current system and ensure the best impact on the community.It will be developed with stakeholder involvement and further consultation and consultation will be undertaken in the months and years to come, said the spokeswoman.