Question Period Note: Non-Insured Health Benefits Program

N/A

• The Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program provides clients (registered First Nations and recognized Inuit) with coverage for a range of health benefits.
• Benefits under the Program include prescription and over-the-counter medications, dental and vision care, medical supplies and equipment, mental health counselling, and transportation to access health services not available locally.

Program Eligibility

To be eligible for NIHB Program benefits, an individual must be a resident of Canada, and registered or eligible to be registered under a provincial/territorial health insurance plan and have the following status:
• a First Nations person who is registered under the Indian Act (living on or off-reserve);
• an Inuk recognized by an Inuit Land Claim organization (i.e. Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation or Makivik Corporation);
• or a child, less than 2 years old, whose parent is an eligible NIHB Program client

NIHB Program Benefits

Pharmacy and Medical Supplies and Equipment
• The NIHB Program covers a range of prescription drugs and select over-the-counter products listed on the NIHB Drug Benefit List.
• A specified range of medical supplies and equipment (MS&E) items are also covered by the Program.

Dental
• Dental services must be provided by a licensed dental professional, such as a dentist, dental specialist, independent dental hygienist or denturist.
• Services include diagnostic (i.e. exams and x-rays), preventive (i.e. cleanings), restorative (i.e. fillings), endodontic (i.e. root canals), periodontal (i.e. deep scaling), removable prosthodontic (i.e. dentures), oral surgery (i.e. extractions), orthodontic (i.e. braces) and adjunctive services (i.e. sedation).

Medical Transportation
• NIHB Medical Transportation benefits coverage is provided to assist eligible clients to access medically necessary health services that cannot be obtained on reserve or in their community of residence.
• Benefits include:
o Ground Travel (private vehicle; commercial taxi; fee-for-service driver and vehicle; band vehicle; bus; train; snowmobile taxi; and ground ambulance);
o Air Travel (scheduled flights; chartered flights; helicopter; and air ambulance);
o Water Travel (motorized boat; boat taxi; and ferry);
o Living Expenses (meals and accommodations); and
o Transportation costs for health professionals to travel into communities to provide services, where this is a more cost effective approach.

• Medical transportation in the North
o Historically, Canada has had long standing funding agreements in place with the Governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories to ensure ISC programming to Inuit and First Nations territorial residents is delivered in a manner that is integrated with the territorial health systems. However in recent years, both territories have taken the position that all territorial medical travel costs incurred to support First Nations and Inuit territorial residents access to insured services are a federal responsibility. The Government of Canada was unable to negotiate new supplementary medical travel funding or agreements with the governments of Nunavut and Northwest Territories prior to the January 2025 prorogation and subsequent dissolution of parliament. As a result, territorial governments would not sign extensions to the Non-Insured Health Benefits agreements for the administration of some Non-Insured Health Benefits ( including eligible medical transportation benefits), before last year’s agreement expired on March 31, 2025. However territorial governments continue to administer medical travel, and residents continue to have access to insured health care services (as well as NIHB program benefits such as vision care and dental care).
o
Vision Care
• NIHB funds a range of vision care benefits including:
o Eye examinations, when they are not insured by the province/territory;
o Prescription eyewear;
o Eyeglass repairs; and
o Other vision care benefits depending on the specific medical needs of the client.

Mental Health Counselling
• The mental health counselling benefit is intended to provide coverage for professional mental health counselling to complement other mental wellness services that may be available‎.
• Clients receive coverage for 22 hours of counselling per year, with more available as needed, such as where the client requires more intensive or longer duration supports.

If pressed on Non-Insured Health Benefits
• The NIHB Program does not directly deliver health services to its clients, rather benefits are delivered through service arrangements with health care professionals/providers, provincial/territorial governments, the private sector and First Nation and Inuit partners.
• During 2023-2024, the NIHB Program provided access to benefits coverage for 959,207 eligible clients. Total Program benefit expenditures in this period were $2,098.2 million; a 10.9% increase over 2022-2023.
• The NIHB Program provides coverage to eligible clients in Canada regardless of age or income (unless otherwise covered under a separate agreement with federal or provincial governments, or through an Indigenous self-government agreement).

If pressed on medical transportation in the north
• The Government of Canada remains committed to working with territorial governments as well as Indigenous partners to ensure that territorial residents, including First Nations and Inuit have access to necessary health services.