Insurance watch: Puerto Rico health plan, INS launches farm lines

Puerto Rico launches new health framework

A division of the US health and human services department has endorsed Puerto Rico's health reform model, dubbed Plan Vital, clearing the way for federal funding.

Puerto Rico's governor Ricardo Rosselló hailed the approval for Plan Vital, adding that it already provides essential coverage to over 1mn citizens.

"We are grateful to the federal government for approving Puerto Rico's health insurance model. Our patients now have the right to decide which insurer and which health providers respond best to their needs," he said in a statement.

The government noted that Plan Vital also provides medical coverage to those that cannot afford traditional medical plans.

Under the new model, patients can choose between five insurers and their health providers such as doctors, laboratories, therapists and hospitals, among others. Each insurer must also have a services network throughout Puerto Rico to allow greater mobility and freedom of choice.

Rosselló added, "patients have until January 31 of this year to request any change of insurer and thus be able to use another provider network. At present, over 450,000 patients have opted to change their insurer."

The president of the health insurance administration's (ASES) board and secretary of the department of health, Rafael Rodríguez Mercado, said, "this approval demonstrates the professional and correct work we have done for the benefit of our patients that today have over 5,000 providers in Vital."

Meanwhile, the executive director of ASES, Angela Avila, added the approval "allows us immediate access to the federal funds allocated by congress retroactively to November 1, 2018."

Ávila said, "This decision should end any uncertainty that some sectors tried to raise. Vital is here to stay and will give our patients more rights."

INS launches new farm lines

Costa Rica's largest insurer, state-owned Instituto Nacional de Seguros (INS), has launched a new line of products offering coverage for poultry and farmed fish and shrimp.

"Our purpose is to contribute to food security, providing technical support to the agri-food sector," said INS president Elian Villegas in a statement.

The company added that it has signed contracts with banking institutions and co-ops to facilitate the adoption of the new policies and support lending to producers looking to fund the cost of premiums.

President Carlos Alvarado backed the new line as one of several planned actions to mitigate risks small farmers face and improve quality of life in rural communities.

INS said the two new lines - poultry insurance and aquaculture insurance - would be introduced during the first quarter of 2019.

According to the insurer, the poultry policies would cover laying hens for breeding, broiler chickens and laying hens for consumption, while the aquaculture policies would cover shrimp, tilapia and red snapper, expanding existing lines for agricultural and livestock insurance.

"In recent years, these policies have been strengthened and have been subject to major changes in order to make them more accessible to producers, through better prices and facilities for their subscription," Villegas said.