Improvements to Medical Transportation Assistance Program Now Implemented

To help ease the financial burden of paying upfront for travel for medical services, effective January 1, 2012, eligible residents booking commercial air travel for specialized insured medical services will now have 50 per cent of economy airfare prepaid prior to travel. Before this change, eligible individuals had to absorb the full cost of airfare initially and be reimbursed afterwards with the portion covered by the Medical Transportation Assistance Program.

“The Medical Transportation Assistance Program is one of the most comprehensive of its kind in Canada, and has been recently expanded to further assist individuals who must travel both within and outside the province for insured medical treatments,” said the Honourable Susan Sullivan, Minister of Health and Community Services. “We recognize the financial hardship that travelling for medical reasons can place on the patient and family and through this program enhancement we hope to reduce that stress.”

The new air travel enhancement complements a recent change to the program that allows patients and their immediate family members travelling for insured medical services by private vehicle to be reimbursed at the rate of 16 cents per kilometre for each additional kilometre in excess of 2,500 kilometres.

The Medical Transportation Assistance Program provides financial assistance to those with a valid MCP card who incur travel costs related to required insured medical treatments.

Under the program, specialized medical services include: visits to a specialist; treatments such as chemotherapy, dialysis, and radiation; and, investigations such as nuclear medicine tests, MRI and PET scans.

The Medical Transportation Assistance Program also assists with taxi fares incurred in relation to commercial air travel, scheduled busing, purchased registered accommodations, and in conjunction with these accommodations, a meal allowance can be claimed for air and road travel in and out of the province.

“Significant investments have been made in the last two years to expand the Medical Transportation Assistance Program,” said Minister Sullivan. “These enhancements will further help to alleviate the financial burden experienced by residents who must travel to receive the specialized medical services they require.”

In Budget 2011 Standing Strong: For Prosperity. For Our Future. For Newfoundland and Labrador, $700,000 was allocated for the enhancement of the Medical Transportation Assistance Program. The Provincial Government is investing approximately $3.8 million in the program in 2011-12.

To raise awareness regarding the recent improvement to the Medical Transportation program a new advertising campaign was launched. The campaign consists of both print advertisements and promotional posters and brochures. For further information about the Medical Transportation Assistance Program and to view the campaign material, please visit www.health.gov.nl.ca/mtap or call 1-877-475-2412.

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Media contact:
Jennifer Tulk
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 699-6524
jennifertulk@gov.nl.ca 

2012 01 10                     9:45 a.m.