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Windsor-Essex community members and experts have said an upcoming new federal co-payment system will hurt access to healthcare for refugees and instead can increase overall costs, CBC News reports.
CBC News reports that members of the St John’s medical community speak out against the new federal co-payment system they say will hurt access to care for refugees.
The federal government will implement a co=payment system under the Interim Federal Health Program (OFHP).
That program provides certain medical and health benefits to refugee claimants – individuals seeking refugee status in Canada due to claims of persecution, torture or other harms – before they’re eligible for provincial coverage.
The change will start on May 1, and introduce a $4 fee on every prescription dispensed and a 30 per cent fee on things like dental, vision and mental health care.
Dr Christine Aubrey-Bassier, a St John’s family physician is also the Newfoundland and Labrador campaign lead for the No Cuts to Care Coalition, a national coalition opposing the co-payment program. He said, “They’re really targeting the most vulnerable people in our population, and are going to make a lot of health-care inaccessible for a lot of people.”
In a statement to CBC News, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) said that the changes to the program were made in the name of “sustainability.”
The IRCC said the new co-pay applies to supplemental health services, and things like doctor visits, hospital stays, vaccinations and diagnostic testing remain fully covered under the program.
Spokesperson for IRCC Isabelle Dubois said the measure is expected to save the federal government $126.8 million in savings this fiscal year and $231.9 million onwards.
She said she sees the co-pay as an attack on universal health care, saying the added cost that will come with co-pay will act the same as a cut – impacting claimants’ ability to seek the care they need.
Canadian Medical Association President Dr Margot Burnell has also called the implementation a step backward in care.
