SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Health Minister Sandy Lee is getting more specific about proposed changes to the extended health benefits plan, saying her department is considering setting an income threshold of between $30,000 and $50,000.

Under the proposed plan, all non-aboriginal Northerners making less than that threshold would have 100 per cent of their prescription, dental and vision care covered. People making more than the income threshold won't be cut off, but they will have to pay part of the cost.

"This will ensure access to supplementary health benefits is no longer determined by a specific condition or age but by income level," she said.

The payment process will mean that seniors and people with specified conditions whose earnings are above the income threshold will begin paying for a portion of services that are now fully covered.

Lee said increasing coverage would allow between 1,700 and 2,300 people, most of whom would be children of people who don't currently have health insurance plans, to access extended benefits.

People earning more than the income threshold would start paying for a portion of their drug and medical supply costs. Lee said the co-payment would start at 20 per cent of the cost and increase in five per cent intervals every $20,000 income bracket. Lee said the number of dependents a person has will also affect how much they pay. A breakdown of the proposed cut-offs is available on the department's website.

Great Slave MLA Glen Abernethy said he was concerned making seniors pay for a part of their health care could drive them out of the territory.

"To save $1,000, are we really willing to aggravate and change the program so much that people leave? I'm not sure that we are," he said.

He said people with catastrophic diseases could also be facing health care bills they can't afford.

"If you're talking a disease when every shot is $1,600 and you require a shot a month, well then that starts to add up. All of a sudden you're broke at the end of the day, even if you're only paying 20 per cent," he said. "It may make it more difficult to live here."

Lee said the department will present two different options at upcoming public consultations. Her March 24 announcement came a day after the first public meeting on proposed changes took place in Fort Simpson. Lee said nothing would be finalized until after the public consultations, which will wrap up in Yellowknife, April 7.

Last year, the department cancelled proposed changes to the extended benefits package after intense public outcry from people who said they would not be able to continue living in the North if they had to pay a portion of their health care.

The Department of Health and Social Services has previously said it wanted to finalize a new benefits plan by the end of April and implement the new program by Sept. 1.

Abernethy said it could be a good program, but without showing additional options, the public has no way of making an informed decision.

"They went out and researched the option they want," he said.