Centretown Community Health Centre Opposes Cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program
- Centretown Community Health Centre
- Apr 14
- 3 min read
Centretown Community Health Centre (CCHC) strongly opposes the federal government’s decision to introduce co-payments and reduce coverage under the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP). These changes, set to take effect May 1, 2026, will impose new financial barriers on refugees, refugee claimants, and other marginalized newcomers—populations already facing significant structural inequities and health vulnerabilities.
The IFHP is a vital bridge program that provides temporary, essential health coverage to individuals who are not yet eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance. It exists to ensure that people arriving in Canada—often after experiencing trauma, displacement, and disrupted access to care—can meet their urgent and ongoing health needs.
Under the new policy, IFHP beneficiaries will be required to pay $4 per prescription and 30% of the cost of supplemental services such as dental care, vision care, mental health counselling, and rehabilitation supports. While framed as a sustainability measure, these changes represent a significant step backward in equitable access to care.
At CCHC, we see firsthand how even minimal user fees can prevent people from accessing necessary services. The populations served by IFHP often live in profound financial insecurity, balancing the costs of housing, food, transportation, and settlement. Introducing co-payments—even seemingly small ones—forces individuals to make impossible choices between basic needs and their health.
Health care must be delivered based on need, not ability to pay. This is a foundational principle of Canada’s health system and a core value of community health centres. Imposing fees on refugees and asylum seekers undermines this principle and creates inequitable access to care for those who need it most. IFHP supplemental coverage is comparable to Ontario Works or other provincial social assistance programs. Expanding healthcare access for all Canadians should never mean cutting access for the most vulnerable.
The consequences of these policy changes extend far beyond individual patients. When people cannot afford medications, dental treatment, or mental health support, their conditions deteriorate. Preventable and manageable issues escalate into crises, leading to increased use of emergency departments and hospital services—the most expensive and least appropriate settings for care.
This is not only harmful to patients but also counterproductive to the sustainability of the health care system. Evidence consistently shows that reducing access to primary and preventive care results in higher downstream costs. The introduction of co-payments will likely increase emergency visits, hospitalizations, and long-term complications, placing additional strain on an already overstretched system.
Furthermore, these changes risk undermining successful settlement and integration. Good health is foundational to newcomers’ ability to learn, work, and participate in their communities. When health needs go unmet, individuals face greater barriers to employment, education, and social inclusion. Canada’s investment in refugees pays off. Over time, refugees pay more in income tax on average than they receive in public benefits and services.
It is also important to recognize that refugees and asylum seekers are not a disproportionate burden on the health care system. Per capita spending on IFHP beneficiaries remains significantly lower than average public health spending for the general population. Framing these changes as necessary for cost containment misrepresents both the scale of spending and the value of early, preventive care.
Canada has been here before. In 2012, similar cuts to the IFHP resulted in widespread harm, public outcry, and ultimately a Federal Court ruling that deemed the policy “cruel and unusual treatment.” The reinstatement of coverage at that time reflected a recognition that denying essential health care to vulnerable populations is inconsistent with Canadian values and legal obligations.
The current changes risk repeating these mistakes. Community health centres, physicians, and refugee health advocates across the country have called on the federal government to reverse course.
At CCHC, we urge the Government of Canada to:
Immediately cancel the introduction of co-payments under the IFHP;
Restore full coverage for essential supplemental health services;
Invest in accessible, community-based primary care for newcomers; and
Engage meaningfully with frontline providers and affected communities in shaping equitable health policy.
Health equity is not optional—it is essential. A just and effective health system must ensure that everyone, regardless of immigration status or income, can access the care they need without financial barriers.
The proposed IFHP changes do the opposite. They shift costs onto those least able to bear them, compromise individual and public health, and increase long-term system pressures.
Centretown Community Health Centre stands firmly in opposition to these cuts and reaffirms its commitment to advocating for a health system that is inclusive, equitable, and grounded in dignity for all.
