Thank you, Mr. Abernethy. Mr. Hawkins.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I actually have a question on 8-7. We blew by that page pretty fast. I’m thinking I could probably deal with my questions later on, but I just have some general questions. I’m happy to wait for Members to finish on 8-9.

Mr. Dolynny.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I believe we are on 8-9. I want to formulate my questions regarding the reciprocal billing. I believe 8-9 is closely linked with 8-37 involving Non-Insured Health Benefits being paid back by the federal government. Now what we see here in terms of main estimates and revised estimates and what was in the past historically, I find it odd that we are seeing the same numbers repeat themselves. This amount we get in revenue, does it truly cover the full amount of Nunavut patients that come here for services and are we actually acquiring the full amount of those services with this revenue money? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Minister Abernethy. Ms. Mathison.

Thank you. Mr. Dolynny.

Okay. So I guess to continue my questioning on here, there has to be some historical information with respect to the average billing that we’re doing on behalf of our Nunavut territory and money is coming in from Non-Insured Health Benefits. So I’ll formulate my question another way. Has there been a shortfall historically between what we’re actually billing out and what we’re receiving in in terms of revenue from the Non-Insured Health Benefits? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Dolynny. Minister Abernethy.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. The Non-Insured Health Benefits doesn’t appear on this page. It is on the page that the Member referred to previously. I think it’s page 8-37.

With respect to what we’re billing back from Nunavut, we do bill on actuals, but we have to project based on past experiences. If you look at the first column, 2012-13 actuals, those are the actuals. The main estimates for 2013-14 were based on estimates. The revised main estimates are showing the same number, but in the next main estimates you will see 2013-14 in this column and you will see the actuals because by then we will actually know what they are. We are building upon those numbers for the 2014-15 calculations based on what we know from past usage.

I believe – and the Minister might want to correct me if I’m wrong – page 8-37 is directly linked to this program line. The billing is going to Non-Insured Health Benefits, as far as I’m aware. I guess the question still stands. Have there been shortfalls? What have those shortfalls been with the billings that we’ve been doing with Nunavut patients versus what we’re getting in as revenue to cover those for those patients from Nunavut? Have there been historical shortfalls and are those shortfalls captured in these estimates? Thank you.

Thank you. The dollars you see on page 8-37 are for NIHB are not revenue. We’re not making money on that at all. We’re receiving the dollars and providing the service.

So on page 8-9, these are revenues. Where are these revenues coming from for the reciprocal billing for services for Nunavut patients? Thank you.

We provide services in the Northwest Territories for Nunavut residents and we charge Nunavut back for those services.

Therefore, it is a revenue we are bringing in which is why it appears on this revenue page.

These are First Nations patients. These First Nations patients are entitled to Non-Insured Health Benefits, which is paid out by the Government of Canada through Non-Insured Health Benefits. So, whether or not we’re billing the territory of Nunavut, everything funnels back to our federal counterparts for the actual cheque. So, again, my question still stands. Have there been shortfalls and are those shortfalls embedded within the revenue summary on page 8-9? Thank you.

We provide services to residents from Nunavut here in the Northwest Territories. We charge Nunavut. The relationship between the residents of Nunavut and their government with respect to NIHB is done there. We don’t get involved in the discussions between Nunavut and the federal government. We have discussions with our residents who are covered by NIHB with the federal government. So a Nunavut resident comes in, whether they are NIHB or not NIHB, we provide services, we charge Nunavut, Nunavut then figures out their banking with respect to NIHB and the federal government. We’re not involved in their negotiations or discussions.

Okay, so let me ask the question another way. Is the Government of Nunavut current for all billings for their patient services here in the Northwest Territories, and has that been accounted for should there have been any historical shortfalls from year to year?

As of November 2013, there is about $2.54 million owed to the GNWT by Nunavut for health services. These receivables are clearly within acceptable time limits for payments, and accounts are considered up to date. We continue to receive dollars from them on a regular basis.

Per the GNWT public accounts as of March 31, 2012, there was about $9.7 million owed to the GNWT by Nunavut, so that shows that we do collect on a regular basis, based on the actual costs.

With that one number that the Minister just gave of over $9 million as arrears, that exceeds the actual full main estimate in relation to some of that billing line, so are we to assume that the numbers we have here for reciprocal billing are lower than what we normally do on a regular rolling average? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Those numbers are provided as money owed from Nunavut to the GNWT for a variety of services, not all health related, to government as a whole.

Alright, so let me ask this question in another way here. Has the difference, the delta, any potential monies that we are billing

out for patients, or basically patients are coming from Nunavut to the Northwest Territories to receive a CT scan, any type of diagnostic and we bill the territory of Nunavut for those services, are we capturing 100 percent at the end of the fiscal year for all of those billable services? Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, the actual cost for all procedures is negotiated on an inter-jurisdictional reciprocal agreement. We believe right now that we are collecting all the dollars owed based on the formulas that we have agreed to.