The Administration of the Non-Insured Health Benefits Dental Care Program and Its Impacts on Nunavut's Inuit Population

• Main Author: Moeller, Michael James
• Format: Thesis
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Canada; inuit
• Online Access: https://curve.carleton.ca/0e81581e-454a-4c66-be41-fecbbed0c596; http://catalogue.library.carleton.ca/record=b3523773; https://doi.org/10.22215/etd/2013-09903

Despite the fact that state-recognized Indigenous persons in Canada are eligible for dental care benefits through the federally-funded Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program, Nunavut’s Inuit suffer significant oral health disparities relative to the general Canadian population. This thesis explores how the administration of the NIHB program may contribute to the poor oral health outcomes for Nunavut’s Inuit. It proposes that the program as it exists today is financially unsustainable, and is not conducive to public health objectives, identifying three possible areas of reform: the fee-for-service remuneration model, which creates financial incentives for providers to over-treat patients and is not well-suited for Nunavut’s unique environment; the centralized administrative organization, which does not produce policies reflective of Inuit needs; and the provision of service days to communities, which does not follow any discernible formula. I conclude that increased devolution to an Inuit organization may offer solutions to each of these problems.