Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions today are for the Minister of Health and Social Services in follow-up to my Member’s statement about medical travel while outside of the territory in Canada.
Can I get the Minister to describe what coverage people have when they’re travelling outside of the Northwest Territories? Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bouchard. The Minister of Health, Mr. Abernethy.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Travel outside of the Northwest Territories within Canada and outside of Canada is certainly different. The NWT Health Care Plan does cover residents for medically necessary hospital and medical expenses when residents are travelling outside the Northwest Territories and we have reciprocal billing agreements with the different provinces, which actually articulate or dictate what those costs that we’re covering are. We do have an agreement with most of the provinces and territories to direct bill the Department of Health and Social Services for doctor visits and hospital care for medically required services.
Sometimes there are situations where individuals are asked to pay for medically necessary services in provinces upfront. They can submit invoices to us and we’ll reimburse them for those medically necessary services.
What we don’t cover and what is not covered by any jurisdiction are costs such as for medevacs or air ambulances that occur. So if you’re travelling and you’re injured on a highway, as the Member articulated earlier, the cost of the ambulance wouldn’t be covered by the GNWT. Thank you.
Thank you. I guess we have had a couple of situations like this. What has the Minister and the department been doing to get people to know this situation? I think most people think if you’re travelling within Canada, your medical costs are covered for you. Most people buy insurance when they’re travelling outside of the country, obviously, but what is the Department of Health doing to promote the fact that you need to buy travel insurance ?
We do a number of things to make people aware and encourage them to get medical travel or travellers insurance when they travel within country. For the record we’ll say it again, get travellers insurance when you’re travelling outside of the Northwest Territories and Canada. I’d strongly encourage Members to include it on their websites, in their newsletters or any other way that they can.
In the meantime, the department is doing a number of things. We place ads in newspapers, social media, we have a whole bunch of brochures that are available in health centres as well as in travel agencies. I personally have tweeted a number of times to encourage people to get travellers insurance when they’re travelling within the country.
Currently, actually later this month and into next month, we’re planning to do another round of newspaper ads, and we’ve gone to most of the newspapers in the Northwest Territories – News/North, Northern Journal, L'Aquilon – we’re also hoping to be in YK Edge, and we do have brochures, it’s on our website. I know the deputy minister tweets on a regular basis. I’ve seen tweets on this issue from the chief public health officer, and I’d like to see tweets from all of you. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Mr. Speaker, I’m just wondering why the disconnection. Obviously, we cover the medical expenses during that time if you’re out of the territory, but why wouldn’t we cover the medical costs in travel costs? We cover the medical costs in the hospital. If you went to the hospital, all your medical costs would be covered, and we cover that medical travel in the Northwest Territories. Why do we not extend that out to the other provinces? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
None of the other provinces or jurisdictions actually provide ambulance services for individuals who are outside of their jurisdictions. Once again, we only cover medically necessary treatment while people are out of the territory. If they go down for procedures that aren’t covered here, we wouldn’t be covering those either.
This is something that’s consistent across the country. We don’t actually provide ground ambulance services here in the Northwest Territories for residents, either, and most of the costs that come from ground ambulance are billed directly to our residents. Most people, a lot of people happen to have insurance or something to cover it. It’s not something that’s covered by any jurisdiction.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Final, short supplementary, Mr. Bouchard.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Before I was an MLA, I didn’t even know about this situation. I think we need to get that out there more.
Is there a way that the GNWT would look at doing a group insurance? Obviously, I know I’ve purchased insurance myself and it’s very inexpensive for one year. Is there a way that the GNWT could do a mass insurance for all the people of the Northwest Territories? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Not at this point. We do know that there are a significant number of organizations out there that can provide that insurance to residents of the Northwest Territories. I know, when I travel, I go to the Royal Bank and I get the travellers insurance just in case something happens to me when I’m in the South, and I think it costs me $75 or less a month. So I would encourage people to go to one of the many, many providers.
I would also like to take this opportunity to encourage Members to include this information on their websites, in their newsletters, in any tweeting they happen to be doing and when they’re talking to constituents. Let’s make sure that we’re continually reminding people that it’s important to have travel insurance when you travel not only outside of Canada but within Canada outside of the Northwest Territories. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.
