Antigua and Barbuda to Roll Out National Health Insurance in 2026

Antigua and Barbuda to Roll Out National Health Insurance in 2026, Governor General Announces

Antigua and Barbuda will introduce a National Health Insurance system in 2026, replacing the 46-year-old Medical Benefits Scheme (MBS) with a broader, regionally portable model aimed at expanding coverage and strengthening protection for vulnerable groups.

The announcement came Thursday as Governor General Sir Rodney Williams delivered the Throne Speech at the opening of Parliament, outlining the government’s priorities for the coming year. He said the transition to NHI is intended to “increase coverage, add to the number of diseases covered, and make the insurance plan transferable within CARICOM.”

The MBS, established in 1978, was designed to prevent workers from becoming financially devastated by illness and currently covers 11 common diseases. Sir Rodney noted that no other CARICOM country operates a similar social insurance programme of such longevity, but said the time has come for a modernised system as the nation’s health needs evolve.

He stressed that the new NHI model is part of a wider effort to ensure that “no-one is left behind, especially the elderly and the unwell,” while reducing the long-term burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

The speech linked the upcoming NHI to ongoing upgrades in health infrastructure, including the new mental health facility in Seaview Farm and a purpose-built dialysis centre at the old Holberton site that will serve more than 100 patients daily. Sir Rodney said the government intends to add an operating room to the dialysis complex to facilitate kidney transplants, building on procedures already carried out at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre.

The Governor General also reiterated the administration’s push for healthier lifestyles, urging residents to eat more fresh foods, exercise more frequently and reduce sedentary habits to curb rising NCD rates.

With the NHI rollout set for 2026, the government is expected to outline contribution rates and benefit details in the months ahead. Sir Rodney framed the reform as a major step toward universal access to care as Antigua and Barbuda enters what he called “the next quarter century” of national development.

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