A new coalition, calling themselves The United Healthcare Reform Alliance (UHRA) comprising “the Medical Association of the Bahamas; the Consultant Physicians Staff Association; the Bahamas Association of Physiotherapists; the Bahamas Doctors Union; the Bahamas Association of Medical Technologists; the Bahamas Association of Primary Care Physicians; the Bahamas Psychological Association; the Bahamas Insurance Association; and the Bahamas Insurance Brokers Association”, has declared the government’s proposed National Health Insurance (NHI) is flawed and unsustainable”.

As expected the government's NHI secretariat finds the private sectors position “curious”.

Of course the general public and healthcare professionals involved are not supposed to see anything “curious” about the governments proposal. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken; the government knows what the people deserve and will give it to them good and hard, whether they want it or not.

As stated on other occasions, if the government was sincere and discussing how to provide help to the poor and indigent, that’s a completely different proposition than the proposed  price controls and other mechanisms of force that will be utilised to get their way and eventually take the entire private healthcare sector over.

If you are able to take the time to review the draft NHI Bill of 2016 you will quickly realise that the taxpayer and private healthcare providers should be “curious”. The all caring rhetoric from the government spokespeople is a far cry from the written text of the draft bill.

Yes, it’s all very “curious”, and it's becoming "curiouser and curiouser".