An initiative to name and shame employers who fail to maintain their health insurance has already caused some employers to reactivate their policies.

The Health Insurance Act 1970 requires employers to maintain an active health insurance policy for all employees and their non-employed spouse — something monitored by the Bermuda Health Council (BHC).

Late last month, following amendments to the legislation the BHC announced that it would begin publishing the names of employers with “unverified health” insurance policies in its website.

The list formally went online last Friday and has already seen several changes with several employers coming off the list and others being added.

A BHC spokeswoman said yesterday: “Prior to publishing the first list of employers with unverified health insurance policies, the Health Council contacted over 15 at risk employers. Following that contact, several responded positively with proof of their policies being reactivated.

Thus, the first list was published on July 3 with 12 names.

Since then, three employers provided proof of compliance with the Act and were removed from the list, and two new names were added leaving 11 on the list.”

As of yesterday afternoon, a total of seven companies were listed on the BHC website as having inactive health insurance policies, while another four had terminated policies.

The companies labelled as having inactive policies were: AJW Construction, Bull’s Head Car Care Centre, Byrdies Ltd, DeSilva Real Estate and Rentals, Gourmand Ltd, Options Electrical Ltd and Serenity Gardens Nursing Home. Meanwhile, Impact Mentoring, Inner Harbour Ltd, Tamerry Dental Healthcare Centre and Zippy Lube 2 were listed as having terminated policies.