SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The contention over the territorial government's proposed changes to supplementary health benefits has attracted the attention of a national organization.

The Federal Superannuates National Association (FSNA) has jumped into the fray, arguing the changes will negatively affect its members and seniors in general in the territory.

"This is something that affects all seniors," said Pamela Murray, NWT co-ordinator for the association.

In May, Murray sent a letter to Health and Social Services Minister Sandy Lee formally expressing the concerns of the association. Specifically, the proposal to remove full coverage to all seniors and to cover residents whose annual income falls below a to-be-determined level. Residents whose income is higher than that level, including seniors, will have to pay part of the cost for items such as drug prescriptions, glasses and dental work.

Lee's July 6 response thanks the organization for its perspective and emphasizes the established working group, comprised of MLAs and community interest groups, will be "working to finalize a program that is equitably accessible to all residents that do not already have third party insurance access." The timeline suggested for that work's completion is in the fall.

Murray said the phrasing of the letter suggests the government is pushing forward with its previous proposal to exclude residents who have access to private insurance.

GNWT spokesman Damien Healy refused to comment, citing the ongoing process of the working group, which includes Lee and five others.

The FSNA represents retired public servants and government workers, including RCMP and military personnel, and has 165,000 members across Canada. In the NWT Murray estimates its membership at less than 150, but notes "this issue applies to many people outside of our membership."

The prospect of removing full coverage for seniors also affects Murray personally. While she will still have private health insurance, it will only cover 80 per cent of her expenses.

"With the government withdrawing (its coverage), I'll have to pay the rest," she said.

While she plans to stick with her private coverage in that scenario, she is concerned many people who qualify would opt to leave their private insurance in favour of full public coverage. Another potential pitfall, according to Murray, might be the decision by many employers to cancel private insurance for their employees who qualify under the public system.

She said the system should be designed to cover everyone equally, regardless of their access to private coverage.

"The only equitable thing to do is to not have that restriction," said Murray.

She added not all people who are above the income threshold will be able to pay their medical costs. If people are required to pay 20 per cent of their costs, she points out that could be a very significant amount depending on the overall total bill.

"This creates a lot of difficulty for many people," said Murray. "Retired seniors can't always get employment and go back to work."

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