| Salvageable
parts are
- Prescription drug
coverage
- Coverage (immediate)
for children (including dental benefits)
Changes to consider
include
- Provision and broad
dissemination of complete, clear information on benefits, as well as
‘sensitive’ approach to clients
- Consistent application
of the policy throughout province (e.g. compare between ex-offenders,
foster children; partial vs. full coverage; and how various staff apply
and interpret the policy
- Simplification
of the process for recipients
- Elimination of
waiting periods for the Health Card (e.g. between the end of a job/
E.I., service is needed in interim)
- Eligibility for
the card should be immediate to adults as they are to children (they
must be ready for jobs and/or interviews)
- Inclusion of dental
coverage is required for adults (preventive checkups, fillings)
- Coverage for first
corrective eyeglasses for all who need, should be included
- Extension of Health
Card coverage to low wage workers - beyond 12 months
Positive impacts of
some of the proposed changes
- security
- reduced stress
- improved health
- increased incentive
and ability to work and/or to continue working
- improved quality
of life
Conclusion: Invest
in people for short and long-term gains.
Wage
Exemption
View is that there
are two approaches to new policy development:
- Tinkering with
it by making various amendments
- Working on the
fundamentals to develop an entirely new approach
The participants agreed
that New Brunswick would be better served all around, by making major
shifts in some of the fundamentals and beliefs, to begin a new, workable
approach.
- Understand that
people do want to work
- Assumptions must
be challenged and changed
- Structure needs
to be greatly revised
- Economic vs. social
perspective has to evolve into a collaborative, mutually beneficial
understanding
- Silos of policies,
clients, issues must devolve
- Terminology should
be amended to balance approaches (e.g. wage ‘enhancement’ rather should
be used rather than ‘exemption’)
- Implement a Guaranteed
Annual Income plan
- Raise the exemption
- annually, or in a graduated way
Gather research through
several stakeholders including
- those being impacted
by such policies
- employers
- economists (cost
analysis)
- advocates of the
clients themselves
- other government
departments and agencies (health, education, human rights)
- broad-based community
coalitions, etc.
- other jurisdictions
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