History

The Cayman Islands National Insurance Company (“CINICO”) was first established in 2004 under the leadership of the then Minister of Health, the Hon. Gilbert McLean. The objective for forming this national insurance company was to facilitate the provision of insurance coverage for all civil servants,pensioners, seafarers, veterans, and their dependents. Additionally, CINICO also currently provides health insurance coverage for a number of Statutory Authorities and Government Companies.

The formation of a national insurance company came on the heels of the Mercer Review, which was commissioned by the Cayman Islands Government (CIG) at that time, to perform an in-depth study after the collapse of the Caribbean Home Insurance Program which insured all of the civil service at the time. The CIG then created the Health Insurance and Health Fees Advisory Committee, who were tasked with seeking alternative options of providing health care access to civil servants.

In addition, CINICO was established to administer the health benefits for those residents of the Cayman Islands who were deemed indigent by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), as well as to provide health insurance coverage for residents who found it difficult to obtain coverage through the private health insurers due to pre-existing conditions.

Since its inception, responsibilty for CINICO fell under the Ministry of Health (MOH); however, as of July 2013, CINICO has been placed under the Ministry of Finance (MOF), which is currently led by the Hon. Christopher Saunders, MP. Deputy Premier.