The launch of Argus Insurance?s new Wellness Plan on Thursday is a step in the right direction according to Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley ? although he insisted even bolder steps were needed to reduce healthcare costs in the long-term.

At a Press conference on Thursday, Argus Group president Gerald Simons announced that all Argus health insurance clients would be now be entitled to free lifestyle assessments, which would then form the basis of dedicated reports detailing ways in which each individual?s health could be improved.

Mr. Simons heralded the plan as a ?revolution? in healthcare, and predicted that it would motivate members of the workforce to live healthier lives and, by extension, would mean fewer health insurance claims and therefore lower premiums over time.

But speaking to on Friday, Mr. Dunkley said that while he appreciated attempts of any sort to promote healthy living and the lowering of costs, he doubted whether the plan would have any ?meaningful? impact on health insurance premiums which continue to climb alarmingly.

Until tangible incentives were on offer, such as the prospect of discounted premiums to those who make a concerted effort to adopt healthy lifestyle choices, Mr. Dunkley said Bermudians would continue to suffer.

Mr. Dunkley first called for such ?wellness discounts? in the House of Assembly in January, pointing to successful examples of such schemes abroad.

United Kingdom health insurance company PruHealth, for example, began offering discounted premiums at the beginning of the year to those clients who have made fewer claims, with their website conceding that ?those who look after themselves? should be ?rewarded for their efforts?.

?Argus? plan is good ? but it could have been a bombshell,? Mr. Dunkley said.

?It may go some way to encouraging people to live healthier lives but I really am not sure the impact will register on premiums which go up by double digit figures every year. I know that wellness discounts have been successful in other jurisdictions and I think it is time our local insurance companies started thinking seriously about offering them, as financial incentives are the only ones that are going to make any significant difference. We have a great health system here in Bermuda but costs are becoming a terrible burden on Bermudian families and it is time we started thinking outside the box.?

A story in Thursday?s reported that Shadow Health Minister Michael Dunkley had tabled an anti-smoking bill in the House of Assembly.

However, Acting Health Minister Walter Lister pointed out on Friday that Mr. Dunkley had not actually tabled an official bill on March 11 but rather a take note motion of the need to ban smoking in all public places and also to raise the legal age of purchasing cigarettes from 16 to 18.

The Shadow Health Minister had included a piece of draft legislation ? which he is entitled to do ? to compliment the motion, on which there will be a debate but no official vote.

Mr. Lister added that any legislation that sought to utilise money from the public purse ? unlike private members bills ? had to come from Government and is required to pass through a number of intermediate stages before being finally drafted by the Attorney General?s Chambers. Meanwhile, Mr. Lister welcomed Mr. Dunkley?s proactive stance on the issue and said he looked forward to a healthy debate in which, he was sure, both sides of the parliamentary divide would find significant common ground.

An anti-smoking bill will be before Parliament in the near future, Mr. Lister concluded.