For the first time in over 25 years, the Métis Health Benefits policy is seeing changes.
The GNWT announced Tuesday that Métis Health Benefits applicants would no longer require proof of ineligibility of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Program – a federal program providing coverage for First Nations and Inuit clients.
To reduce barriers to accessing health insurance the policy now asks that applicants self-identify as Métis and be a member of an Indigenous government or NWT Indigenous organization holding Aboriginal rights.
The updated Métis Health Benefits Policy is still “the payor of last resort,” meaning that if other insurance plans are available, those plans must be used first.
In their Tuesday announcement, the Department of Health and Social Services call the change “a more respectful way of determining eligibility criteria,” which “aligns with principles of self-determination identified in the United Nations Declaration.”