Newfoundland and Labrador Auditor General Denise Hanrahan said Wednesday that issues with the province’s Medical Care Plan (MCP) and Dental Health Plan remain unresolved more than a decade after they were first identified. Hanrahan delivered a performance audit report to the House of Assembly, highlighting ongoing concerns with compliance, information technology, and oversight.
Hanrahan noted that many of the issues outlined in the new report mirror those identified in a 2014 MCP audit, which found an ineffective compliance function, outdated and complex IT systems, and an internal audit function that was “ineffective and underutilized.”
“The issues I’ve identified in this audit report are some of the same issues that were reported in 2014, and I have yet to receive a reasonable explanation for why these issues remain unresolved more than a decade later,” she said.
The MCP is the province’s publicly funded health insurance plan, covering physician services for residents. It includes the Children’s Dental Health Program, which provides universal access to eligible dental services for children 12 and under. Coverage also extends to youths aged 13 to 17 whose families receive income support, as well as some adult dental programs.
‘Aging digital infrastructure’
Hanrahan described the “aging digital infrastructure” as contributing to “inefficiencies, frustration for providers, and increased risks from error or fraud.”
“Yet the internal audit function, which is meant to mitigate that risk, does not use the tools and processes available,” she added. “With low productivity, procedural problems and insignificant recoveries, I question the effectiveness of the department relying on its internal audit function as an oversight measure for the MCP program.”
Hanrahan also expressed concerns over the Department of Health and Community Services’ ability to ensure that public health care funds are “distributed appropriately to health care providers – doctors and dentists – for the services they provide to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
