Published:Thursday | December 17, 2015
Cabinet has approved the Government’s athletes insurance plan to provide group health, as well as life and personal accident insurance, for more than 1,000 athletes across all sports.
Information Minister Sandrea Falconer made the announcement during yesterday’s Jamaica House press briefing.
“Cabinet has approved the selection of the Guardian Life Insurance and Allied Insurance Brokers as the providers of insurance of our athletes,” said Falconer.
“Guardian Life will provide group health, while Allied will provide group life and personal life and personal life accident coverage,” she said.
Falconer added that all national sporting associations and federations have also committed to supporting the Jamaican Athletes’ Insurance Plan by contributing five per cent of the cost for their participating member athletes.
“The Jamaican Athletes’ Insurance Plan has received funding support from the Sports Development Foundation, Tourism Enhancement Fund, the National Health Fund, and Culture, Health, Arts, Sport and Education (CHASE) fund.
Falconer noted that one must be a current athlete in order to qualify for the insurance scheme.
“They have to be in a programme representing Jamaica and so once you are not active in a programme then you will not qualify,” Falconer stated.
Falconer said Minister with Responsibility for Sports Natalie Neita-Headley, will provide further details on the schemes at a later date.
Meanwhile, newly appointed president of Netball Jamaica, Paula Daley-Morris, said her association welcomes the move by Cabinet.
“We spend a lot of money on our players in terms of taking care of their medical issues,” said Daley-Morris.
“This is going to help to keep a little bit more money in our coffers and so I wish to thank the Government for being so considerate at this time and supporting athletes in general,” she said.
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