Seniors have fierce FutureCare critic Louise Jackson to thank for the reopening of the Government's basic health insurance plan, Opposition leader Kim Swan said last night.

Mr. Swan said his Shadow Health Minister had been a "lone voice" for the "many, many" pensioners told earlier this year they were ineligible for FutureCare [EmDash] and that the basic state Health Insurance Plan (HIP) was no longer open to them.

"Thank God for Louise Jackson," he said. "She spoke for the many seniors who had lost basic health care coverage and for the many who remained confused and anxious about whether they would ever qualify for FutureCare.

"For her efforts, she was derided by Health Minister Walter Roban as 'the only one who is confused'. Mrs. Jackson was also criticised for being an alarmist who did not have her facts straight.

"Government moreover tried to muzzle her from speaking at a public event and to stop her from speaking to health care officials. But the facts reveal that Mrs. Jackson was not confused.

"Anxiety among seniors about whether they would ever qualify for senior care has been recognised and the closure of HIP was clearly a mistake that left many seniors without basic coverage."

Mr. Roban said last night: "The lack of any fact in that response does not deserve a substantive response."

Affordable health insurance for all seniors was a central pledge in the PLP's last election manifesto. But in April, Government said it was scaling back its promised FutureCare scheme due to the economic downturn and limiting the numbers to those already in HIP for the first year.

At the same time, it closed the doors on HIP for seniors not already enrolled, advising those aged over 65 who failed to get into FutureCare that they should seek a cheap basic healthcare plan with a private insurer.

Health permanent secretary Warren Jones explained at the time: "The demand for HIP over previous years has been small; therefore, the majority of those persons over 65 are either already enrolled in HIP or have insurance in the private sector. However, FutureCare will also be accepting seniors who qualify for financial assistance."

In the last few months, insurance companies have discontinued their low-cost policies for seniors. Mr. Roban announced on Wednesday that HIP would reopen to seniors as an "interim solution" before phase two of FutureCare begins next April.

Mr. Swan said the UBP supported the reopening of HIP, even if it was a "stopgap measure to help solve a government-created problem".

He said: "This mess begins with Premier Brown's 2007 election promise to provide 'every Bermudian above the age of 65 with guaranteed health care' for the rest of their lives [EmDash] a promise made without a plan, without costing and without any thought but to secure votes to win the election."

He said the Government tried this week to portray itself as riding to the rescue of seniors who were cut out of HIP and FutureCare.

"I hope Bermudians don't buy the spin because it was the Government that dropped them in the hole in the first place," said Mr. Swan.

He said Mrs. Jackson [EmDash] whose husband Albert died on Wednesday, aged 90 [EmDash] told him yesterday that she would continue to speak out on the issue, "particularly the unfairness of a revived HIP plan that offers less than FutureCare at virtually the same price".