Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Medical travel: where do I begin? There are issues with scheduling. There are issues with where patients are sent and how those decisions are made. There are issues with escorts. In Hay River, we have even had issues about the accessibility of the actual medical travel office.
Today I want to talk about an issue that does not receive enough attention in this House or from the government. Most people in the territory have some sort of extended health benefits which cover virtually all the costs associated with medical travel. The GNWT provides such benefits to its employees and their spouses and dependants, as do other public entities and many private companies. Similarly, benefits are extended to individuals registered under the Indian Act, Indigenous Metis, seniors, and those from households with incomes under $80,000 per year.
This means that the only NWT residents who do not qualify for full medical travel coverage are those from households that earn over $80,000 a year. To be fair, there is some coverage for those who earn above the threshold. Return flights to medical appointments only cost $250, and they receive $50 a day for accommodations and $18 a day for meals when on approved medical travel trips.
According to the government, the fact that these amounts do not cover all of the medical travel costs is a recognition that these costs need to be shared between the GNWT and those who can afford it; but, Mr. Speaker, can they afford it? A young, relatively healthy single individual who makes $80,000 a year may be able to foot the bill for the few times just to travel to Yellowknife for medical issues. What about the family of four that earns just above the threshold? What if a child has a medical condition that requires monthly visits to the specialist in Yellowknife or Edmonton? What if a parent must take time off work to accompany that child, and what if they have to bring their other two kids, as well? Suddenly, that $50 for accommodation allowance and $18 a day for meals are not cutting it. I have had constituents in that bracket who have had to push back psychiatrist appointments for their children because they just could not afford it that month.
A living wage in Yellowknife for a family of four is actually above the current threshold, and that does not include medical costs. Assuming a similar living wage for other communities, it is clear that the threshold is too low. This threshold was introduced 14 years ago as an interim measure. Adjusted for inflation, it would be over $100,000 now, Mr. Speaker. Clearly, this threshold needs to be updated as well as the other policy issues surrounding this. I will have questions for the Minister at the appropriate time. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.