Alberta mother's battle puts spotlight on First Nations medical care rejections
An Alberta mother is challenging the federal government over its refusal to pay for her daughter's medical care.
Stacey Shiner lives outside Calgary. Her daughter Kennedy is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation. Kennedy has braces to correct a severe overbite and molars which were growing in sideways. The condition once left her suffering headaches and persistent discomfort.
"I couldn't really smile straight so I would never smile," Kennedy said.
Shiner applied to have her daughter's treatment covered by the federal government's Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, a program aimed at ensuring that First Nations and Inuit people receive medical care comparable to other Canadians.
Her daughter's orthodontist assured the government the treatment, which would cost more than $8,000, was medically necessary and not merely cosmetic. But Health Canada nonetheless rejected the family's claim.
"It made me pretty frustrated," Shiner said.
Alberta mother's battle puts spotlight on First Nations medical care rejections - Politics - CBC News
An Alberta mother is challenging the federal government over its refusal to pay for her daughter's medical care.
Stacey Shiner lives outside Calgary. Her daughter Kennedy is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation. Kennedy has braces to correct a severe overbite and molars which were growing in sideways. The condition once left her suffering headaches and persistent discomfort.
"I couldn't really smile straight so I would never smile," Kennedy said.
Shiner applied to have her daughter's treatment covered by the federal government's Non-Insured Health Benefits Program, a program aimed at ensuring that First Nations and Inuit people receive medical care comparable to other Canadians.
Her daughter's orthodontist assured the government the treatment, which would cost more than $8,000, was medically necessary and not merely cosmetic. But Health Canada nonetheless rejected the family's claim.
"It made me pretty frustrated," Shiner said.
Alberta mother's battle puts spotlight on First Nations medical care rejections - Politics - CBC News
