Cuban Healthcare System is Sick

When the locals are broke, hit the tourists. That seems to be the newest plan from Raul and Fidel, the Castro Brothers who have spent the last five decades bringing the economy of Cuba to almost a dead stop.

The article states that every year the island hosts 2.4 million visitors. If Cuban leadership had the well being of 11 million Cubans at heart, the leaders would change the nation in ways that would open the door to the arrival of American tourists. How many Americans would go to Cuba? Millions. How many millions? Hard to say. Many millions. Enough to multiply the GDP of Cuba and bring on the start of extraordinary prosperity.

But is seems the Cuban Marxist hardliners want to cling to their silly revolution a little while longer.

Cuba to require medical insurance for visitors

07 Mar 2010

HAVANA, March 6 (Reuters) - Cash-strapped Cuba will require visitors to buy health insurance if they want to enter the country, according to a new government measure disclosed on Saturday.

Under the measure, which takes effect in May, the insurance will be sold by foreign companies approved by the Cuban government or by Cuban firms at ports of entry to the communist-led island, the government said in the online edition of Cuba's Official Gazette.

The measure decrees that tourists, foreigners with temporary residence in Cuba and Cubans living abroad who return to visit will have to be insured.

It exempts diplomats and representatives of accredited international organizations. The cost of the insurance was not disclosed.

Cuba prides itself on having a strong healthcare system, which is provided free to its citizens and at low costs to foreigners.

But the island has been hit hard by the global recession and is looking for new sources of revenue to boost its depleted financial reserves.

Tourism is one of Cuba's main sources of income. In 2009, 2.42 million people visited the island.