From July 1, patients in NWT hospitals waiting for long-term care will have to pay the same accommodation fee they would be charged if they were in a long-term care facility.
The GNWT said in a Tuesday news release the change would apply to people formally assessed by the Territorial Admissions Committee and designated as needing an alternate level of care, meaning they don’t need hospital-level treatment but have to stay in the hospital because there are no spots available in a “more appropriate care setting.”
Patients will have to pay $34 a day or $1,021 a month. Those rates are set to be adjusted for inflation in May 2027, the GNWT stated.
“Aligning accommodation fees helps make better use of hospital beds and improves access to care for people who need acute treatment,” health minister Lesa Semmler said the news release.
“These decisions are part of our broader review of every patient’s journey and are intended to improve support for healing with a focus on the long term fiscal sustainability of our health system.”
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Previously, patients were not paying any accommodation fees, the GNWT said.
The territory said those patients still received the same level of care they would get in a long-term care facility, like nursing care, medication management, meals, and assistance with daily activities.
