Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The NIHB programs are set up and administered by the federal government. I understand they have a panel of people who review the program. I think some people might not be aware that their program guidelines are quite strict. There are lots of things that they do not cover and that we hear from all the time. If we were to consider any changes to that, it’s a completely different process and we would not have much say in that anyway.
I’m willing to convey and communicate any concerns that the Member might have. Any changes to the Metis health benefits are something that would have to be dealt with between our aboriginal and Metis governments.
I think what’s important for us to focus on is that we have the Extended Health Benefits Program for non-aboriginal residents of the Northwest Territories. I’m not sure if it is a Cadillac, but it is very generous, because we understand that it is an
important program and we do want to make sure that people who need it receive that.
The way it’s set up right now, there’s absolutely no regard for one’s capacity to pay. So we have a very strange situation where somebody making $150,000 with a private insurance coverage gets a top-up or dental plan and eye care plan and 20 percent covered, whereas we could have a situation of a 30-year-old mother with two kids just making enough money to not qualify for income support, no private insurance, and they have to struggle to pay for dental care and eye care for their children. What we are saying is let’s have a dialogue about this, keeping the benefits we have, but can we be more fair about the access that people could have to this program.