Enter at your own risk: government changes to comprehensive care for newly arrived Canadian refugees

Abstract

, most refugees to Canada, including those who arrive seeking asylum, had major cuts to health insurance coverage provided by the Interim Federal Health Program. Coverage for many is now limited to conditions deemed a public health or public security concern. At the eleventh hour, following unprecedented activism by health care providers, editorials from national newspapers and letters from medical associations, refugees sponsored by the government and certain privately sponsored refugees were excluded from the cutbacks. In the succeeding 2 months, confusion has reigned among refugees and providers, with eligible refugees requiring urgent care being turned away from emergency departments while the government partially reverses course.

Reducing Health Services for Refugees Through Reforms to the Interim Federal Health Program

“…However, due to activism by health care providers, editorials in national newspapers and letters from medical associations, refugees sponsored by the government and certain privately sponsored refugees were excluded from the cutbacks (Arya, McMurray and Rashid 2012).…”

“…Focusing on fairness rather than effectiveness reduced the need for substantive evidence to support the Minister's claims. Indeed, in Europe, policies that restricted access to health care had limited success in deterring undesirable migrants (Arya, McMurray and Rashid 2012). Furthermore, there were no economic analyses that substantiated the $100 million projected savings over five years (Ibid.).…”

“…One study in Oregon could have bolstered the Minister's claims, as it found that the insured spent an average of 25 percent more on health care than the uninsured (Belluz 2012). However, the annual cost of coverage per refugee under the IFHP was likely between $562 and $660, compared to $6,141 per capital spent on health and social services for Canadians (Arya, McMurray and Rashid 2012). Despite the lack of evidence of the policy's potential effectiveness, the majority Conservative government was able to implement the changes to the IFHP.…”

Myth: Refugee Health Care Cuts Will Decrease Overall Health Care Costs

“…[16][17][18] Refugees that are unable to pay for basic health care may get sicker and suffer from complications of unmet health care needs, forcing them to use more costly emergency and urgent care. 4,18 Confusion among health providers on what services refugees remain eligible for has led to refugees being turned away from emergency departments. 4 The prevalence of physical and mental health conditions may increase for refugees due to inadequate monitoring and undiagnosed conditions.…”

“…4,18 Confusion among health providers on what services refugees remain eligible for has led to refugees being turned away from emergency departments. 4 The prevalence of physical and mental health conditions may increase for refugees due to inadequate monitoring and undiagnosed conditions. 18 Refugees may also suffer from higher mortality rates from their medical conditions compared to the general population due to a greater degree of undetected and untreated cases.…”