Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I think I finally heard what the real problem is. The Minister has been dodging this one for a long time I think. The problem is we as a government have been supporting ourselves to have people dump insurance. We have people telling people that are retiring, don’t get insurance because we will cover it. I know there are other employers that are out there saying, don’t get that insurance or don’t take our government insurance because if you don’t you can get full coverage by the GNWT. We have actually supported an environment where we are encouraging people to dump insurance. The Minister has admitted that today, but we don’t fix it by putting in a program that convinces even more people to dump their insurance. We need everybody to work with us. We need people who have insurance to keep that insurance because it helps us save costs so that we can provide top-ups to all of our residents. That is what we need. What they are doing is exactly the opposite. They are actually creating more incentive for people to dump their insurance. It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Sooner or later, the prices on this whole program are going to go up. I am curious if the Minister can talk to me a little bit more about that. Why would we want to create a program that actually encourages everybody to dump their insurance? It makes no sense.
Glen Abernethy on Question 125-16(5): Proposed Changes To Supplementary Health Benefits Program
In the Legislative Assembly on May 13th, 2010. See this statement in context.
Question 125-16(5): Proposed Changes To Supplementary Health Benefits Program
Oral Questions (Reversion)
May 12th, 2010
See context to find out what was said next.