Beautiful Virgin Islands

Thursday, Oct 30, 2025

Legislators health insurance tender process halted- Dr the Hon Wheatley

Legislators health insurance tender process halted- Dr the Hon Wheatley

Acting Premier and Minister for Education, Culture, Youth Affairs, Fisheries and Agriculture Dr The Honourable Natalio D. Wheatley (R7) said the matter of supplemental health insurance coverage for former and current members of the House of Assembly (HoA) is going back to the drawing board and the tender process put on hold.

The matter has been a hot topic lately when the Request For Proposal (RFP) went out to tender. Since then the Opposition has distanced their selves from the matter, and Government members have called them out on it.

The matter has seen a public outcry from some members of the public led by elements sworn only to frustrate the efforts of the Virgin Islands Party (VIP) Government.

Opposition Member Honourable Melvin M. Turnbull (R2), who reportedly was the one to advance the matter of supplemental insurance and was given the responsibility to help move it forward, publicly stated in a letter that he had advised that the matter not go out to tender until a study is conducted.

Further, a statement from Opposition Leader Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) on June 6, 2021, said Members of her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition have expressed their disappointment and concern regarding the request for proposals (RFP) for private health insurance coverage for current and former HoA members.

The statement also alleged that the plan advertised in the media comes despite there being no consensus by all members of the HoA to issue such notice.

Matter should not be shrouded in controversy


“Notwithstanding the political pandering and flip-flopping from the Opposition …your Government has taken a decision to halt the tender for the insurance service for current and former HOA Members, so that we can have further deliberations among the Members of the HoA and also to consider the views of the public on the matter,” Dr Natalio Wheatley said via a statement issued on June 8, 2021.

“It is your Government’s position that an important matter such as how we care for our former Legislators in their golden years and on their passing, should not be shrouded in discord and controversy. To re-emphasise the assurance given by the Honourable Premier on this matter, whatever is in the best interest of the people of the Virgin Islands will be the only course of action,” he said.

He too called out Honourable Turnbull’s actions and the Opposition Leader Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) that he called duplicitous and deceptive.

'Blatant untruths' by Opposition


“It is clear from the press release issued by the Honourable Leader of the Opposition, dated 7 June, 2021, that most Opposition Members are trying to distance themselves from the issue now that they perceive it to be a hot potato – having supported the position all along for supplemental insurance coverage for current and past legislators. But what is more important than the political flip-flopping by the Members of the Opposition are the blatant untruths in their statements as regards the chain of events leading up to the issue of the RFP,” he said.

Like the Junior Minister Hon Sharie B. de Castro, Dr Wheatley said Honourable Turnbull was the lead member on the insurance matter, and he was the one who brought it up in the HoA.

Dr Wheatley said Turnbull and the other members of the Opposition did not have any objections to what was being proposed either, despite their claims now or that it needed to be placed on hold pending a study.

Opposition was consulted & raised no objections


“Contrary to the assertions of the Leader of the Opposition as well as the Representative for the 2nd District

Honourable Melvin Turnbull was consulted by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) on the contents of the RFP prior to and up to its publication, and the Member raised no concerns throughout the entire process in the nature that he is claiming today. The Representative for the 2nd District had no major objections to the RFP, although minor changes were suggested, and he did not ask for the RFP to be held back,” Dr Whealtey argued.

He also said the Member for the 2nd District had indicated to the Committee of Privileges that the matter of insurance was a long outstanding issue, it needed to be dealt with early, and it had his full support as the previous Government was afraid to touch it.

"Consequently, the sub-Committee of Privileges in 2019 held a series of meetings to iron out all the details for the insurance and agreed to meet with three local insurance companies recommended by the Member for the 2nd District to advise on what was needed to proceed. The Member for the 2nd District– as the lead Member - held the preliminary meetings with the three insurance companies and then reported to the Committee, after which the companies made presentations to the Committee,” the Acting Premier said.

Despite being consulted on the matter and raising no objections, when there was a public outcry a statement from Opposition Leader Hon Marlon A. Penn (R8) on June 6, 2021, said Members of her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition have expressed their disappointment and concern regarding the request for proposals (RFP) for private health insurance coverage for current and former HoA members.

Second District Representative and Opposition Member Hon Melvin M. Turnbull was the architect behind the private health insurance for present and former legislators but has now distanced himself from it following public outcry.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
UK and Vietnam Sign Landmark Migration Deal to Fast-Track Returns of Irregular Arrivals
UK Drug-Pricing Overhaul Essential for Life-Sciences Ambition, Says GSK Chief
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Temporarily Leave the UK Amid Their Parents’ Royal Fallout
UK Weighs Early End to Oil and Gas Windfall Tax as Reeves Seeks Investment Commitments
UK Retail Inflation Slows as Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since Spring
Next Raises Full-Year Profit Guidance After Strong Third-Quarter Performance
Reform UK’s Lee Anderson Admits to 'Gaming' Benefits System While Advocating Crackdown
United States and South Korea Conclude Major Trade Accord Worth $350 Billion
Hurricane Melissa Strikes Cuba After Devastating Jamaica With Record Winds
Vice President Vance to Headline Turning Point USA Campus Event at Ole Miss
U.S. Targets Maritime Narco-Routes While Border Pressure to Mexico Remains Limited
Bill Gates at 70: “I Have a Real Fear of Artificial Intelligence – and Also Regret”
Elon Musk Unveils Grokipedia: An AI-Driven Alternative to Wikipedia
Saudi Arabia Unveils Vision for First-Ever "Sky Stadium" Suspended Over Desert Floor
Amazon Announces 14 000 Corporate Job Cuts as AI Investment Accelerates
UK Shop Prices Fall for First Time Since March, Food Leads the Decline
London Stock Exchange Group ADR (LNSTY) Earns Zacks Rank #1 Upgrade on Rising Earnings Outlook
Soap legend Tony Adams, long-time star of Crossroads, dies at 84
Rachel Reeves Signals Tax Increases Ahead of November Budget Amid £20-50 Billion Fiscal Gap
NatWest Past Gains of 314% Spotlight Opportunity — But Some Key Risks Remain
UK Launches ‘Golden Age’ of Nuclear with £38 Billion Sizewell C Approval
UK Announces £1.08 Billion Budget for Offshore Wind Auction to Boost 2030 Capacity
UK Seeks Steel Alliance with EU and US to Counter China’s Over-Capacity
UK Struggles to Balance China as Both Strategic Threat and Valued Trading Partner
Argentina’s Markets Surge as Milei’s Party Secures Major Win
British Journalist Sami Hamdi Detained by U.S. Authorities After Visa Revocation Amid Israel-Gaza Commentary
King Charles Unveils UK’s First LGBT+ Armed Forces Memorial at National Memorial Arboretum
At ninety-two and re-elected: Paul Biya secures eighth term in Cameroon amid unrest
Racist Incidents Against UK Nurses Surge by 55%
UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves Cites Shared Concerns With Trump Administration as Foundation for Early US-UK Trade Deal
Essentra plc: A Closer Look at a UK ‘Penny Stock’ Opportunity Amid Market Weakness
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
×