St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus said she is concerned about health care services offered to those living on Campobello Island in the U.S. after receiving word some services would no longer be covered under Medicare.
“On Tuesday, during supplementary estimates and committee of the whole, the finance minister said the budget covered out-of-province visits for medical services for New Brunswickers,” she said. “However, I received word this week that the Lubec Medical Centre in Maine has informed the residents of Campobello Island, the cost of their regular visits to doctors at the medical centre would no longer be covered by Medicare.”
Bockus said a doctor does travel to the island “maybe once a week.”
“For years, they have received their medical care from Lubec,” she said.
She questioned Health Minister Dr. John Dornan about why the coveraged had changed, especially for residents on Campobello Island who have not a lot of options.
Campobello Island is uniquely situated between New Brunswick and Maine. The only way for residents living on the island to get back to the mainland is either by ferry—which only runs in the spring and summer—or go through the United States.
The island has no grocery store or gas station, which means it relies heavily on the U.S. for groceries and fuel. In the summer, residents were granted an exemption by the federal government on tariffs amid the ongoing trade war with the U.S. and President Donald Trump’s administration.
The ferry was also extended in the fall to allow residents some more time and limit travel through the U.S, but has since stopped operating.
Campobello Island Mayor Harvey Matthews posted on social media that he was aware of the changes to Medicare that were impacting his constituents.
He also posted a letter that is unsigned but indicates the changes.
“As a patient with New Brunswick Medicare, please be aware that regular (non-urgent) office visits are not covered under NB Medicare,” it read, adding a sliding fee discount could be sought if the individual qualified under the household income and size criteria.
Urgent visits will continue to come at no cost to islanders.
Matthews said he is concerned about the changes but added he will continue to advocate for a bigger medical facility on the island.
Campobello Island was not on the initial list for collaborative clinics— a push from the Holt government to improve timely access to health care for those without a primary care provider.
One has been established in St. Stephen but needs to be relocated due to a lack of space inside the Charlotte County Hospital.
St. Andrews has signed a memorandum of understanding with Horizon Health Network for renovations to its clinic inside the W.C. O’Neill Arena Complex. Dornan and Premier Susan Holt toured the facility this summer and said the government is “close” to announcing it as another collaborative care clinic.
Dornan said in a statement to The Courier the Regional Medical Facility in Lubec have been fantastic partners and value their continued support.
“The recent change relates to the terms of the existing agreement between the Government of New Brunswick and the Regional Medical Centre at Lubec,” Dornan said in the statement. “For some time, the centre has been providing additional services to New Brunswickers outside the scope of the agreement, such as non-urgent laboratory and radiology services that can be safely scheduled in New Brunswick.”
He said the changes only relate to issues that can be provided on the island—such as non-urgent laboratory services and radiology services—that can be safely be done in New Brunswick.
“The change involves only those services that can be delivered and be provided by the Campobello Health Centre or the Charlotte County Hospital in a timely and safe manner, as per the existing agreement,” he said in the statement. “We are actively engaged in discussions with the Regional Medical Centre in Lubec to identify solutions that minimize any impact on residents while also respecting the operational realities faced by the service provider.”
The Courier has reached out to the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for comment and is awaiting a response.
