Government Health Insurance will expand to cover bills for generic drugs and GP visits, according to the Throne Speech.Prescription drug benefits under the FutureCare insurance plan are also to be amended, to pay the full cost of generic medications.Name-brand drugs will still get 80 percent cover, however — and the limit of $2,000 a year will stay in place.Meanwhile, clients of FutureCare and HIP who receive Financial Assistance are to become eligible for the full cost of visits to their general practitioners.Asked for details, a Health Ministry spokeswoman said the proposal for extra FutureCare and HIP benefits had been priced at an extra $1 million in total claims.“This represents a less than two percent claims increase in HIP claims over 2010/11 levels, and about a five percent increase in FutureCare’s 2010/11 claims,” she added.On the question of possible premiums increases or the coverage of cost increases by Government’s insurance subsidy, the spokeswoman said such decisions lay ultimately with Cabinet.She added: “To keep in mind the wider context, Government spends less than one percent of its overall budget to directly and specifically subsidise FutureCare.”The insurance plans for the legislative year ahead were commended by Age Concern Executive Director Claudette Fleming.“Hopefully, the covering of co-pays will mean that seniors will be proactive with their healthcare needs, rather than avoiding visiting the doctor because they do not have the money to pay for the service,” Ms Fleming said, adding that Government was “on the right track” in addressing the cost of heath care.Curbing “unnecessary diagnostic tests” and offering insurance cover for “services in settings less expensive than the hospital” were other measures Ms Fleming said would be best addressed by the Bermuda Health Council.The speech drew a tough line on the issue of obesity, with the Ministry of Education to push the agenda of active lifestyles and healthy eating for students.The version of the speech read by Governor George Fergusson included a paragraph deleted from the print version, touching on the issue of higher import duties for junk food, and possible changes to the displaying of tobacco products in shops.A statement issued shortly afterward said such matters remained under policy review, and “do not constitute official Government policy”.Such measures have been speculated upon in the past by Health Minister Zane DeSilva, who once told The Royal Gazette he would like to see higher price tags put on unhealthy food products and cigarettes.The Throne Speech also reiterated the call for public input on cost containment measures for the National Health Plan, which remains a work in progress.One year into the Plan, Mr Fergusson said, some of the Island’s “best and brightest minds” were working on “creative and bold solutions”.