Thank you, Mr. Roland. Mr. Ng.
Debates of Feb. 24th, 1998
This is page numbers 1041 - 1091 of the Hansard for the 13th Assembly, 5th Session. The original version can be accessed on the Legislative Assembly's website or by contacting the Legislative Assembly Library. The word of the day was chairperson.
Topics
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1071
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1071
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the aboriginal organizations, as I indicated, are the representatives for the aboriginal constituency on this issue. They deal directly with the federal government, Health and Welfare Canada. We have very little to say in this respect,
although because of the fact that we pass on some of the non-insured health benefit funding to the boards. We certainly made them aware that these changes were coming into effect as we learned about them, as we were notified through Health and Welfare Canada. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Floyd Roland Inuvik
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Just to summarize, this decision was made by the federal government of their own desire to make some changes they felt necessary and that was it. Are you saying the GNWT had a very little role to play in this decision? Thank you, Mr. Roland.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, that is correct. We have no role in this except for the administration of dollars that comes from the federal government. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
The Chair Vince Steen
Health Insurance Programs, activity summary, operations and maintenance, total operations and maintenance, $59.435 million. Mr. Krutko.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is in regard to the non-insured health benefits. I think a lot of the funds, especially when it comes to aboriginal people in the different regions and communities who feel that the whole health care program in which they thought they were protected under treaty rights or as an aboriginal right is slowly deteriorating that are presently being allocated to this government from Ottawa seems to be declining or basically are not really being identified so that they know exactly what those benefits cover and exactly how they are benefiting the different aboriginal groups. I would like to ask the Minister, is there a formula in place to allocation based on aboriginal per capita breakdown by a particular riding or region? How do you know how much money is being allocated to which particular region out of the non-insured health benefit dollars that we get from Ottawa? Is there a formula or scenario of how that is being allocated?
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, we do not provide regional allocations on this funding. As I said, we administer them on behalf of the federal government and as claims come in we pay it from the pot we have available from the federal government which, for the 1998-99 year, is approximately $14.7 million. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Is Ottawa the one who sends you the bill? There must be some basis for how they come up with the scenarios. Is it based on who is on the band list or who is registered as an aboriginal person, Indian, Inuit or Metis? If we get direct billing from Ottawa, there must be some sort of a system in place to notify the federal government of who is eligible and who is not. How do you know at any one time? I am not sure on your numbers, maybe you could elaborate on it. I thought you said $14 million or something for non-aboriginal, non-insured health benefits. What is the number we get from Ottawa? How much is it and exactly how does Ottawa know what to bill to this government?
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, I guess I can say that there has not been any real rationale for how Health and Welfare Canada Medical Services Branch allocated their dollars for non-insured health benefits. It is something that aboriginal groups certainly have been trying to find out about. The $14.7 million, as I indicated that comes in, we pay out based on claims that come in under the approved guidelines. If they require preapproval from Ottawa after it is approved there or if it does not require preapproval from Ottawa that fits within the guidelines based on pharmaceutical invoices or dental services invoices that come in. That is how we pay it out, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the non-insured health benefits for the Tl'oondih Healing Society, the only bills this government was covering at the time were the non-insured health benefits. Based on that, is that still the practice of this government in regard to billing for the other alcohol and drug treatment facilities in the territories? Do they have to identify where the billing is going to and exactly if it is non-insured health benefits? Those were the only funds the Tl'oondih Healing Society was receiving were funds based on non-insured health benefits for aboriginal people. Is this practice presently being delivered in the other treatment facilities?
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, the last fiscal year, I believe, there was an unexpended amount in non-insured health benefits, and we requested and received approval from Health Canada that allowed us to use that money toward alcohol and drug counselling and training that took place at Tl'oondih or with the workers. That was an exception versus the norm, Mr. Chairman. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. In regard to the allocation of regional breakdowns, is there a certain percentage of the $14.7 million given to each region for the regional health boards to administer in regard to non-insured health benefits?
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Kelvin Ng Kitikmeot
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Mr. Chairman, no. As I indicated, we hold that pot centrally at headquarters and when the invoices come in we disburse them based on services provided. Thank you.
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1072
David Krutko Mackenzie Delta
Thank you, Mr. Chairman. As you know, in my
region, there is a self-government negotiation process going on and self-government is based on aboriginal rights in regard to the inherent right. It is under section 35 of the constitution. I believe one of the things they are presently looking at is the funding that has been allocated to this government from Ottawa. This is one of the federal dollars that is being considered is the $14.7 million. Has this government made an effort to try to figure out exactly how that $14 million fits into the different aboriginal groups, especially the ones looking at self-government, to see what program dollars are being allocated on their behalf and exactly how it is being distributed? Have they looked at the formula and the allocation of these funds, which presently come from Ottawa, in regard to aboriginal people when you talk about non-insured health benefits?
Committee Motion 21-13(5): To Establish Guidelines And Standards For The Operation Of All NWT Health Boards
Item 19: Consideration In Committee Of The Whole Of Bills And Other Matters
Page 1073