AGE Concern executive director Claudette Fleming has thrown down the gauntlet to health insurers and challenged them to show they are serious about facing the challenge of inadequate health insurance for seniors.

With most health insurance policies lapsing at the point of retirement, many of Bermuda's 6,700 seniors have been faced with paying much more for their health cover, at a time of life they need it most and when their working income has stopped.

Some may have such basic cover that an emergency operation overseas with a price tag running into five or six figures may not be covered. Ms Fleming said the situation had forced a "loss of dignity" for many seniors who had paid insurance premiums for a whole working life.

And she added that the first step in addressing the problem was to find out how widespread and serious the problem was.

And she challenged Gerald Simons, head of the Health Insurers Association of Bermuda (HIAB), to help achieve that.

"I challenge Mr. Simons, as head of the HIAB, to offer some of his resources to the Government, or to independent researchers, to determine the extent of the problem," said Ms Fleming.

"This gives insurers an opportunity to show whether they have the will to help to deal with this problem."

Mr. Simons responded forcefully yesterday and said that insurers were already on the case.

"There is no need for Ms Fleming to lay down a challenge to insurers," said Mr. Simons. "We have recognised our responsibilities to the community for a number of years.

"That is one reason why we in the HIAB will be involved in the Health Council and we will be looking at the provision of adequate health insurance for seniors."

The Health Department is working on plans for a Health Council to address issues such as seniors' health coverage. Health Minister Nelson Bascome has said he planned to have legislation in place by mid-July.

Mr. Simons added that he had met Finance Minister Eugene Cox to discuss the seniors issue in October, 2001.

And he believed the HIAB would have made more progress towards solution ideas, had it not been for the protracted argument with doctors over the implementation of a new insurance code last year.

"If the HIAB had not been so distracted by the dispute with the physicians we would have been able to devote more of our time and resources to this problem," said Mr. Simons. "This problem requires a community-wide approach."

Transport Minister and working physician Dr. Ewart Brown said in the House of Assembly last November that the Government had plans to extend health coverage to seniors who had been dropped from the policies they had held while employed.

The Opposition United Bermuda Party has also announced its plans to address the situation, which include the provision of free prescription drugs and eyeglasses.

With seniors making up a large proportion of the electorate, the issue of health cover for retirees is sure to figure strongly in the General Election campaign.

"We have such small numbers in Bermuda and this country is wealthy, so with something like health insurance, it should not be too dificult to come up with a solution," said Ms Fleming.

"We have 6,700 seniors and maybe two to three thousand are not comprehensively covered.

"We have to create a national strategy where Government, insurers, health care providers and consumers get together and see what each of them can bring to the table in terms of making health care more accessible."

The prospect of an election this year had helped to publicise the issue, said Ms Fleming.

"This needs to be in the spotlight," she said. "The youth are entering the spotlight because of a perceived negative impact. But with the seniors we have a silent majority suffering from an insidious problem and just like the youth problem, it affects all of us."

Mr. Simons agreed with Ms Fleming's point that information about the seriousness of the problem was an important step.

"The insurance companies are more than willing to work with Government, Age Concern and physicians in collecting information - and information is critical," said Mr. Simons.

Health care costs are rising at around ten per cent a year and Mr. Simons said that was presenting a problem to the whole community.