Kenny Hudson had his first heart attack in 1996, and his second in the year 2000. Ever since, the Fort Smith-based M茅tis Elder has stuck to a stringent regimen of medication to keep his heart health in check.
"I faithfully take my meds every day," he said. "I don't miss. It keeps me alive SA国际影视传媒� that's the way I look at it."
On a recent visit to the pharmacist, however, Hudson ran into an unexpected problem.
"On the weekend before the July long weekend, I went to the pharmacist to get my medication," he said. "I had already phoned in ahead. Generally, 100 per cent of the time, he'd have it ready, and you'd pick it up. [This time], he wanted to talk to me.
"They have a little place to talk [to customers] there, and he says 'Kenny, one of your medications is on hold. It needs prior approval.
"He says, 'Normally, I'd just give you a month's worth till it's straightened out,' but he said that Blue Cross said no exceptions SA国际影视传媒� so bang, people are cut right off. I was thinking, holy, this is heart medication."
In the Northwest Territories, health insurance for First Nations and Inuit people is administered by the federal government. For M茅tis people, however, it is overseen by Alberta Blue Cross, on behalf on the GNWT.
Hudson increasingly suspects there are big differences between the levels of coverage available to the territory's various Indigenous groups.
"I'm just now researching SA国际影视传媒� and I got a little bit of help from the local M茅tis SA国际影视传媒� is there a difference between maybe health coverage, treaty health coverage, Inuit coverage?
"There's a vast difference."
He is also troubled by the extensive health benefits afforded to federal and territorial government employees, when M茅tis people such as himself struggle to get the medication they need to live healthily.
"It's such a vast difference," he said. "Doesn't it bother people that the very government that's supposed to care for us cared better for themselves and their health coverage than they did the very people that they represent?"
Hudson is the former president of the Fort Smith M茅tis Council. He has been retired from that role from some time, but is still dedicated to protecting the rights of his people SA国际影视传媒� so much so that he recognizes he may be known as a "trouble-maker" in some circles.
However, he can't help but worry how many other M茅tis SA国际影视传媒� specifically Elders SA国际影视传媒� may be running into health coverage problems like the one he encountered at the local pharmacy.
"I retired four-and-a-half years ago, but I was president for 20 years, so I still wake up thinking of other people SA国际影视传媒� especially Elders," he said. "I'm concerned about other people, and I thought, how many people are in the same boat as me?
"We've got to look at this."
SA国际影视传媒 made contact with Alberta Blue Cross to inquire about any changes to the health coverage of M茅tis people in the NWT, but did the organization did not follow up before press deadline.
The GNWT's Department of Health and Social Services was also contacted, but did not provide comment prior to press deadline.
