Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Some of my constituents have brought a serious concern to my attention. Hopefully this Assembly, with the cooperation of the department, will be able to address the issue.

Mr. Speaker, I am referring to the current manner in which patients in the North are reimbursed under the Extended Health Benefits Program run by the Department of Health. Specifically there is inconsistency in how Northerners are reimbursed or pay for medications.

Patients who qualify for extended health benefits for specified illnesses are able to receive 100 percent payment for their prescription medications. Under this plan, the pharmacist direct bills the Department of Health and Social Services for the entire amount. This seems to work well.

Problems arise for people who already have some other form of partial coverage but who rely on extended health benefits to top up their coverage. In this scenario, the pharmacist direct bills the initial insurance policy but requires immediate payment for the amount covered by extended health. It is up to the patient to pay this amount and then apply to the GNWT for reimbursement. For example, a GNWT employee who has 80 percent coverage under their main plan and 20 percent coverage from extended health must pay the 20 percent out of pocket.

Mr. Speaker, the 20 percent outlay may seem relatively minor to some of us but considering the expense of prescription drugs used to combat something like multiple sclerosis, this 20 percent can be anywhere from hundreds to thousands of dollars.

Mr. Speaker, I believe this government should have on-line billing implemented for extended health benefits which would improve tracking and payment and ensure our constituents are not out of pocket for a substantial amount of money each month.

At the appropriate time, I will be questioning the Minister responsible for Health to see if she is willing to look at correcting this serious shortfall in service.