A new report from the Wellesley Institute tracks the impacts of recent federal health care cuts on refugees. Reforms to the Interim Federal Health program were introduced in 2012. This report identified four specific impacts of the cuts on refugee health:
- Administrative burdens for health service providers that in some cases may result in lack of access to services even where health care coverage exists
- Increased number of avoidable hospital emergency departments visits that could have been reduced through access to primary care
- Creation of a class of refugee claimants without access to health care services through the creation of the Designated Country of Origin list
- Reductions in health care access for vulnerable refugee groups, including pregnant women, resulting in potential for increased risks and complications.
For more information and to read the report, please visit the Wellesley Institute website at www.wellesleyinstitute.com.
On January 1, 2014, the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (MOHLTC) launched the Ontario Temporary Health Program for Refugee Claimants to address gaps left by cuts to the IFH program. For more information about this program, please visit the MOHLTC website.