NEWS
Monday , September 28, 2015 3
A Community in Canada for Refugees
Learning from the Interim Federal Health Program
jerico espinas› contributor
C
anada is currently witnessing a revitalized interest in the plight of refugees,
starting in early September when the
tragic photos of the Kurdi family’s attempt
to escape Syria were widely published in the news
and shared on social media. Since then, a large
number of different non-government organizations,
activist groups, and public intellectuals have criticized Canada’s current refugee policies, claiming
that more can, and should, be done to ensure that
we provide adequate support for refugees. Many of
these groups have made policy suggestions to both
increase the number of refugees we have agreed take
in and to speed up the refugee application process.
Many Canadians have expressed eager support for
these changes to Canada’s refugee policies. However,
there is little discussion on the issues that refugees
face once they actually arrive in Canada and are
properly admitted as refugees. While living conditions here are almost certainly better than those in
their country of origin, refugees still face a number
of different systemic challenges
that should also
be examined and
criticized.
One of these
challenges involves access to Canada’s healthcare system. Given the journey refugees undergo
in order to escape their country of origin, many
require healthcare services soon after their arrival
in Canada. However, many of them have no financial
resources to pay for the care themselves given the
cost of travel and their socioeconomic background.
Fortunately, the Interim Federal Health Program
(IFHP) provides low-income refugees and refugee
claimants with certificates that entitle them to federally-funded health insurance coverage. Through
this program, these at-risk populations can access
a large range of basic healthcare services, such as
urgent or essential healthcare, preventative care,
some dental and vision care, and essential prescription medications. This federal insurance is
expansive, and is similar in scope to the provincially-funded healthcare benefits that are provided
to low-income, social assistance Canadians.
Despite the IFHP’s clear benefits, it is currently
facing strong challenges from the federal government. In 2012, the IFHP received budget cuts that
severely limited the kinds of refugees who can apply
for a certificate, excluding those who were not technically admissible to Canada based on their country
of origin, those who failed to file their refugee claims
on time, or those who made an unsuccessful refugee claim. Additionally, the ma