Mr. Speaker, several of my constituents were medivaced recently with life-threatening illnesses and were denied escorts because medical travel does not cover escorts for emergency circumstances, and reimbursements for their family members were denied. These escorts are vital in understanding the plan of care for their loved ones who were in an incapacitated state. But it's not policy to allow escorts for emergency medivac situations. I've raised this before. The Minister gave me some assurances that there would be a path forward. Now it appears that path has closed. Can the Minister commit to revisiting this policy, once again, because it's not working for the people I represent in this House. Thank you.
Member from Range Lake. Minister of Health and Social Services.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, the medical travel policy is -- like, as I mentioned in this House many times, right now we're in the midst of reviewing this entire process of medical travel, of moving people within the Northwest Territories. It is a complex process. There are approximately about 1,800 medical travel cases annually requiring many, you know, logistics. So when we -- when we're looking at the different types -- so when people are moving -- going for appointments, insured service appointments, so doctor’s appointments, there's one way of doing that. If they're going for dental and they're covered by an insurance, there's another way of doing that. If they're medivaced, there is no process for in that medivac -- emergency medivac policy, there isn't an escort -- nonmedical escort because the patient is being moved with medical escorts. And so I understand what the Member is saying, is that there might be sometimes where an escort may go down to Edmonton, learn the plan of care, and then travel back with that Member but then those circumstances are case by case. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the Minister's doing this work but if they've -- and they've moved medical travel into the department so the Minister can really weigh on these things and it's not arm's length distance in the authorities. But what's the point of doing that if there's no exemptions that can be made? So can the Minister clarify what the exemption policy is for medical escorts, not for the people who are medivaced but for medical escorts. Thank you.
Again, Mr. Speaker, that move was just recently done to remove the people that are actually doing the medical travel process from not having to now be the ones to appeal -- work with an appeal or an exception on their own work. So that part has moved into the department. The Member is asking what good is that. Well, every case is case by case and then it's looked at, so there's not, like, a tick list of everything because it's new within the department, so there's not -- there's not a case -- there's not a line by line item as to what it is. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Would the Minister agree that being present for a plan of care for a loved one who is incapacitated would meet the criteria for an exemption? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Within the policy, there -- there are -- we do have the policy. So if there are decision-making, if there are -- there are exceptions to some of those policies. I can't speak to the specific case but like I said, every case is looked at individually because there's -- every time we get BFs, you know, there's more information, there's -- everything is so complex for every different person. It's not the same for every single person that's travelling. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister for Health and Social Services. Final supplementary. Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I can tell you my constituents are frustrated. I can tell you this family is very frustrated. I hope the Minister will bring something practical about how to improve the system. But one thing I'll say, the rates are far too low to cover the costs of today. When is the Minister going to adjust those rates to reflect the reality of today's costs? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. And I'm really glad that the Member has asked that because that has been asked in this House over and over and over again many times. The rates are to make things equitable in the territory. So the rates fall in line with all of our policies. Some of our policies that are federally funded, and we try to match what those rates are so that it's equitable across all residents with that. And, yes, times have changed, things cost more. That is in the review process. The one thing that I would like to highlight is if we -- you know, that's a decision that will have to be made once we have all of those in front of -- all of the recommendations in front of us with medical travel policies. Can we afford all the changes that we want for every person, every elder, all of the rates to be equivalent to what we've heard in this House many times to government rates that are negotiated through the collective agreement? You know, there's costs after costs. It's going to make the changes. And once we have all those recommendations and it's reviewed and recommendations put in front of us, we will have to make those decisions. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Health and Social Services. Oral questions. Member from the Sahtu.
