Final supplementary, Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The Minister states the obvious. The costs of health care are going up proportionately across the board. So why would we want to take supplementary health benefits and make that the target and say that’s not priority of this government? It’s going up across the board, whether you’re talking about front-line services, supplementary health benefits, pharmaceuticals, diagnostic procedures, new medical science, it’s going up, that’s the way it is. We can’t really stop that train. People are living longer, thankfully, and there are more ways to be treated in the medical system, thankfully. So when we talk about the priorities of this government, why do you want take supplementary health benefits and pick on that particular one thing?

Mr. Miltenberger, I read in the media, wants to build a $2.5 million liquor store in Hay River. Is that a priority of the people of the Northwest Territories, Mr. Speaker? Anyway, I’d like to ask the Minister of Health and Social Services why is the supplementary health benefits going to be the target of this government’s restraint measures when she’s just said everything is proportionally going up and only targeting a certain group of people? Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, we are not targeting this and we have said this is not a cost-cutting measure. It is a sustainability issue, Mr. Speaker. Each department has a certain amount of money and we have a situation where we have a program that is mandated, that’s not legislated, it’s not core service. We do want to help people. We do want to help the seniors. We do want to help the low income people. We do want to help those with high costs of drugs. But we are asking -- and we have a very, very generous program -- we are asking for those people who can access insurance elsewhere or who have an income that should justify, that they pay something and nobody’s going to be without this access. Even at the highest income level they will get 45 percent covered. And if they have insurance, yes, access that insurance, because why shouldn’t we do that as a government, Mr. Speaker?

The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to ask some questions. I work with the Minister of Health and Social Services on the questions. The Minister has indicated, in terms of the health benefits to some people who are going to be affected. I want to ask the Minister is there a percentage of numbers, in terms of who these supplementary health benefits will be affected, the ones who are protesting, the ones who are in the gallery, people left to be being broke in terms of... What’s the percentage, in terms of the proposal that you have put before us? What is the percentage of people that are going to be affected by this new proposal?

The honourable Minister of Health and Social Services, Ms. Lee.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. As the Member is aware, when we went to public consultation on this in April we just wanted to talk about the idea of it. Then people asked for specific options for income threshold and we offered $30,000 threshold to start and then $50,000. Assuming that the income threshold is at $50,000 for single and moving up progressively, we believe

that this program will still provide 80 percent of the people a very good coverage of extended health. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, the Minister indicated that for, for example, an income of $50,000 and up is a threshold. Is there a cap on the percentage about 50 percent?

We are suggesting a cap that we are discussing with the committee. Thank you.

Mr. Speaker, again, I go back to the basic principle of the real issue is the 2,300 people without coverage right now. Is there a possibility, when you’re having the discussion amongst other things with the committee, in terms of can we put this program in place for the 2,300 people who are in need right now, as we speak? Each day that we deliberate and debate this issue here these 2,300 people do not have the coverage that other people enjoy. That we can have some discussions on the other issues that are very controversial in this House here. That’s what I’d like to ask the Minister.

One of the reasons why we want to make this change is to bring in those people who are excluded. Yes, the option is there to bring them in without making any changes to anything else. Then we have to put in extra money. We believe it will cost two to three million dollars to bring them back in. But the thing is, as the Member for Hay River South mentioned already, the health care budget has been going up at about 8 to 10 percent every year even if we change nothing. The cost of delivering, the cost of human resources, the cost of health care is going up by 8 percent. Our budget has doubled but our population has remained the same; actually, really, almost no growth in the last 10 years NWT-wide. I mean, Yellowknife has seen growth, but NWT-wide. So, Mr. Speaker, it is a challenge for us to add new people and expand services without having to look at how do we realign the program.

As I have said already, this is a program where people can get service elsewhere if they buy the insurance. We need to consider that and we need to continue to work on that. Thank you.

Your final question, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. What I’m hearing from the Minister is if we do not go with the proposed plan, somewhere down the line we’re going to have a sustainability issue in regard to health care and that we have to find somewhere $8.5 million. That definitely is very concerning to me and my people in the region in looking at other issues regarding health. Also, that we’re going to be under siege. We really have a problem here, Mr. Speaker, in terms of this issue here.

Is this the best that the Cabinet can put before us? If we do keep the existing program, I believe that

we’re going to be dealing with this issue in the next year or so. Is this what the Cabinet can put before us with our limited budget and our needs in my region and other small communities, in terms of health care services and services that we desperately need, as I spoke of earlier? That’s the question that I want to ask the Minister.

As I indicated earlier, suggestions such as how do we minimize the opportunity for our people to dump their insurance, I think we should put our heads together to see how we could do that and we should look into that, Mr. Speaker. We are going to work through this because we know that there’s a time limit to this and I’m willing to work with the Members about how to improve this. There is a challenge to expanding the program to those who need it, without making some changes within. Thank you.

I’d just like to recognize the clock. The time for oral questions has expired. Item 9, written questions. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I seek unanimous consent to return to item 8 on our agenda, oral questions. Thank you.

---Unanimous consent denied.

Item 9, written questions. Ms. Bisaro.

Thank you, Ms. Bisaro. The honourable Member for Sahtu, Mr. Yakeleya.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. My questions are for the Minister of Health and Social Services.

1. Can the Minister provide to me the Medical

Travel Policy for elders leaving to hospitals outside their communities?

2. Can the Minister provide the policy where

elders must have or shall have escorts regardless of their medical condition and that our health centres must abide by this policy?

3. Will the Minister provide to me an explanation

as to what is the rational to not have escorts travel with elders who must go to hospitals and who makes the final decision to approve medical escorts?

4. Can the Minister provide to me what is the

department going to do to ensure that our Medical Travel Policy respect the aboriginal cultures and beliefs towards taking care of our elders?

5. Can the Minister provide a detailed (diagram)

protocol of the approval process between our Sahtu health centres, our Sahtu Health Authority Board and the Territorial Medical Office?

Thank you, Mr. Yakeleya. Item 10, returns to written questions. Item 11, replies to

opening address. Item 12, petitions. Mrs. Groenewegen.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I would like to table a petition today signed by 319 citizens of Hay River and 104 citizens of Fort Smith. The petition is that all seniors be eligible for supplementary health care benefits regardless of income. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.

Thank you. The honourable Member for Great Slave, Mr. Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I would like to present a petition dealing with the matter of supplementary health benefits. Mr. Speaker, the petition contains 495 signatures of NWT residents and, Mr. Speaker, the petitioners request that access to supplementary health benefits be expanded and that incremental costs to support the expansion be funded through graduated territorial income tax. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.