June 30, 2014
Access to Health Services Essential to Families and Communities
Provincial Government Increases Medical Transportation Assistance
Improvements to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program, announced in Budget 2014: Shared Prosperity, Fair Society, Balanced Outlook, will come into effect tomorrow, July 1. The program assists eligible residents who need to travel for medical appointments and treatment.
“The Medical Transportation Assistance Program is one of the most comprehensive programs in Canada in terms of coverage and scope. The program is available to eligible residents and provides assistance to patients who travel for specialized medical services in and out of the province. Through Budget 2014, we are allocating $711,500 to enhance the program and provide greater reimbursement options for people who need to travel for eligible medical appointments.”
- The Honourable Paul Davis, Minister of Health and Community Services
Effective July 1, the private vehicle travel and registered accommodations portions of the Medical Transportation Assistance Program will be enhanced to provide greater assistance to residents and families travelling for specialized insured medical services.
The following changes will be applied to eligible medical travel on or after July 1:
- Compensation for private vehicle travel will increase from 16 cents to 20 cents per kilometre for specialized medical travel in excess of 1,500 kilometres during a 12-month period. Previously, residents could only claim for private vehicle travel in excess of 2,500 kilometres per year.
- The maximum amount eligible for cost-sharing for purchased registered accommodations will increase from $1,500 to $3,000 in a 31-day period.
- Previously, claimable expenses in excess of $5,000 during a 12-month period were cost-shared at 65 per cent. As of July 1, this will be amended so that claimable expenses in excess of $3,000 during a 12-month period will be cost-shared at 75 per cent.
“With such a large province, the Medical Transportation Assistance Program is very important for people in rural and remote communities. When anyone is faced with a medical issue, it can be stressful. This program, and the new enhancements, helps ease some of the financial costs associated with that travel.”
- Minister Davis
The Medical Transportation Assistance Program allows for claimable expenses including airfare; accommodations purchased from a registered accommodations provider, such as a hostel, hotel, motel and/or registered apartment; scheduled busing services; and taxis when used in conjunction with commercial air travel. For more information on the program please visit www.health.gov.nl.ca/health/mcp/travelassistance.html
QUICK FACTS
- New enhancements to the Medical Transportation Assistance Program come into effect July 1, 2014.
- Budget 2014 provides $711,500 to expand the Medical Transportation Assistance Program to: increase the monthly accommodations cap from $1,500 to $3,000 and the rate for private vehicle use from 16 cents per kilometre to 20 cents; change the reimbursement formula to reimburse 75 per cent of eligible expenses over $3,000 per year; and decrease the private vehicle kilometre threshold from 2,500 kilometres per year to 1,500 kilometres.
- The program assists eligible residents who incur significant medical travel costs while accessing insured specialized services unavailable within his or her home community or within the province.
- The program is open to patients who receive appropriate referral from a physician, such as a general practitioner for in-province travel and a specialist for out-of-province travel within Canada. Prior approval is required for out-of-country services.
- Under the program, specialized medical services include visits to a specialist, treatments for chemotherapy, dialysis, and radiation and investigations such as nuclear medicine tests, MRI and PET scans.
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Media contact:
Heather MacLean
Director of Communications
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-1377, 697-4137
heathermaclean@gov.nl.ca
2014 06 30 11:15 a.m.