role="main" class="main-container container js-quickedit-main-content" id="main-content">

Bill 46, Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021

Monteith-Farrell, Judith

Please select

View bill

Status

Debates

Original

Bill 46 Original (PDF)

EXPLANATORY

NOTE

The

Bill enacts the Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory

Committee Act, 2021 . The Act requires the Minister of Health to

establish an advisory committee. The committee’s mandate is to make

recommendations for improving the facilitation of reasonable access to health

services for people in Northern Ontario by means of reasonable, realistic and

efficient reimbursement for travel costs. The committee is required to consult

with all relevant stakeholders, including, at minimum, the stakeholders

specified in the Bill. The committee is required to report its recommendations

to the Minister. The Minister is required to inform the Assembly of the

recommendations that the Minister will implement.

Bill 46 2021

Act to enact the Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021

Preamble

The

Canada Health Act declares that “the primary

objective of Canadian health care policy is to protect, promote and restore the

physical and mental well-being of residents of Canada and to facilitate

reasonable access to health services without financial or other barriers”.

The

Northern Health Travel Grant helps people get to the healthcare they need. The

program provides financial support for eligible applicants to travel to their

closest medical specialist or ministry-funded health care facility. However,

many people in Northern Ontario are unhappy with the program’s operation. In

particular, they are dissatisfied with inadequate customer service,

insufficient coverage and low rates of reimbursement. Improving the Northern

Health Travel Grant will help Ontario meet a key objective of the Canada Health Act for Northern Ontario residents.

Therefore,

Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of

the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

Definition

this Act,

“Northern

Ontario” means the districts of Algoma, Cochrane, Kenora, Manitoulin,

Nipissing, Parry Sound, Rainy River, Sudbury, Thunder Bay and Timiskaming.

Northern

Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee

(1) The

Minister of Health shall, within 60 days after this Act receives Royal Assent,

establish an advisory committee to be known as the Northern Health Travel Grant

résidents du Nord de l’Ontario pour frais de transport à des fins médicales in

French.

Composition

(2) The

committee shall be composed of persons that the Minister believes will make

useful contributions to the committee’s work, including,

(

a) recipients

of Northern Health Travel Grants; and

(

b) health

care providers working in Northern Ontario.

Same

(3) The

Minister shall make all reasonable efforts to ensure that the composition of

the committee reflects the diversity of the residents of Northern Ontario and,

in particular, includes,

(

a) women;

(

b) Indigenous

people;

(

c) members

of racialized groups;

(

d) persons

with disabilities;

(

e) seniors;

and

(

f) persons

of diverse sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Remuneration

and expenses of committee members

(4) The

Lieutenant Governor in Council may by regulation prescribe remuneration and

payment of expenses for the committee members.

Mandate

(1) The

Northern Health Travel Grant Advisory Committee’s mandate is to make

recommendations for improving the facilitation of reasonable access to health

services for people in Northern Ontario by means of reasonable, realistic and

efficient reimbursement for travel costs.

Same

(2) In

particular, the committee shall inquire into the following matters respecting

the Northern Health Travel Grant and may make recommendations about them:

1. Ensuring

the rates of reimbursement reflect actual travel and accommodation costs

incurred by persons required to travel to receive health services.

2. Enhancing

service standards for communication with applicants.

3. Enhancing

service standards for timeliness of the assessment of claims.

4. Broadening

the types of health services for which travel costs are reimbursed.

5. Introducing

pre-payment for costs, in particular for repeat visits to health care

providers.

6. Introducing

direct payment to providers of lodging and transportation.

7. Introducing

payment for accommodation expenses incurred by a travel companion.

8. Simplifying

and modernizing the process for proving expenses, including introducing

electronic submission of receipts.

9. Ensuring

the rules and policies relating to the Northern Health Travel Grant are

reviewed.

Consultations

(3) In

carrying out its mandate, the committee shall consult with all relevant

stakeholders, including, at minimum, the following:

1. Primary

care providers, including the following:

i. Community

Health Centres.

ii. Aboriginal

Health Access Centres.

iii. Nurse

Practitioner-Led Clinics.

iv. Family

Health Teams.

2. The

Ontario Medical Association.

3. The

Northern Ontario School of Medicine.

4. The

Association of Ontario Midwives.

5. The

Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.

6. The

Canadian Institute for Health Information.

7. The

Ontario Autism Coalition.

8. Each

public health unit in Northern Ontario.

9. All

other provincial health agencies, including the following:

i. Cancer

Care Ontario or its successor.

ii. Local

Health Integration Networks in Northern Ontario or their successors.

Report

(4) On

or before the day that is six months after the committee is established, the

committee shall report its recommendations to the Minister.

Implementation

of Advisory Committee’s recommendations

On or

before the day that is 90 days after the Advisory Committee reports its

recommendations to the Minister, the Minister shall inform the Assembly of the

recommendations that the Minister will implement.

Commencement

This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

Short

title

The

short title of this Act is the Northern Health Travel

Grant Advisory Committee Act, 2021 .

Date Bill stage Event Outcome Committee

November 15, 2021

First Reading

Vote

Carried

Debates and Progress

First Reading

November 15, 2021

Committee

Second Reading

Committee

Third Reading

Royal Assent

Was this page helpful? Yes , I found this page helpful. An optional survey will open in a new tab. No , I didn’t find this page helpful. An optional survey will open in a new tab.

Back to top