On 28 January 2015, the court fined the owner of a local construction company CI$1,500.00 for failing to pay health insurance fees for himself and one of his employees in 2013.

Following a court hearing on 28 January 2015, Acting Magistrate Angelyn Hernandez found that there were at least three counts against Wendel Construction Ltd.

The Acting Magistrate imposed a CI$1,000 fine, to be paid in one week, or one month imprisonment, on the defendant, who pled guilty. An additional CI$500 fine or two weeks imprisonment resulted from failure to pay his own health insurance.

The company owner was also required to pay CI$1,153.07 to settle an outstanding bill for the employee at the Health Services Authority.

Pleased with the outcome of the case, Superintendent of Health Insurance Mervyn Conolly promised, “My department will continue to work to improve health insurance coverage for all workers.”

With recent amendments to the Health Insurance Law, fines that maybe applied to such violations significantly increased from CI$5,000 to CI$30,000 in Summary Court or CI$10,000 to CI$40,000 in the Grand Court.

Mr Conolly added, “I therefore hope that the recent rulings by the Acting Magistrate will serve as a reminder to all employers that it is important to adhere to the health insurance legislation.”

The case was brought to court by the Health Insurance Commission, which regulates any disputes regarding provisions of the health insurance in the Cayman Islands.