Health and Community Services
February 7, 2007
Minister Provides Update on MCP
Re-registration
Over 80 per cent of the population has
applied to re-register for their new MCP card. The Honourable Ross
Wiseman, Minister of Health and Community Services, today provided an
update on the re-registration of the province’s Medical Care Plan (MCP).
“Over 440,000 individuals have applied to re-register for their new MCP
card and over 330,000 new cards have been issued to date,” said Minister
Wiseman. “This demonstrates a tremendous response to this initiative and
I thank the people of our province for their cooperation. However, there
are still between 65,000 and 75,000 people who have not sent in their
re-registration forms.”
While the majority of applications are processed within 30 days, some
applications are incomplete, or completed with information which is
inconsistent with the MCP database, such as a date of birth written
incorrectly or a change in name which was not reported to MCP. “If
individuals have not received their card, they will be contacted by MCP
for additional information in the near future,” said Minister Wiseman.
“To re-register the entire population of our province is a significant
undertaking,” said Minister Wiseman. “With over 500,000 residents in
Newfoundland and Labrador, it is inevitable that we will find
inconsistencies in application forms with regard to dates of birth and
correct names. Sorting out these inconsistencies is an essential part of
the re-registration process. So, I ask for the public’s patience as we
process the large volume of applications.”
“I want to reassure the public that no eligible resident of the province
will be denied coverage of their health care services while their
applications are being processed.” said Minister Wiseman. “Their old MCP
card will be valid until they receive a new one. And, I encourage those
residents who have not submitted their application to do so as soon as
possible.”
Government launched the re-registration of the province’s Medical Care
Plan (MCP) in May 2006. There is no charge for residents of the province
to receive a new MCP card, nor will there be a charge upon renewal of
the MCP card.
The new cards have an expiry date to ensure that the Department of
Health and Community Services is able to maintain a current and accurate
MCP database which ensures that only residents of Newfoundland and
Labrador are entitled to coverage of health care services under the MCP.
This feature comes in response to the Auditor General’s 2003
recommendations to strengthen controls over the registration process,
improve security of MCP cards and provide an accountable mechanism for
monitoring of the MCP database. At that time, the Auditor General
reported an estimated 80,000 more beneficiary numbers issued than there
were residents in the province.
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Media contact:
Tara Furlong
Communications Specialist
Department of Health and Community Services
709-729-2888, 727-2701
tarafurlong@gov.nl.ca
2007 02 07
9:15 a.m.
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