GHEI - Healthcare for non-status individuals in Toronto
From straightjacket
Contents |
Background
The people involved
- ~100 000 - 500,000 undocumented people in Canada []
- Providing Healthcare for Medically Unsinsured - Dr. Caulford
- In Canada, immigrants are admitted for their professional expertise and anticipated contribution to the workforce. In 2004 we admitted 204 000 landed immigrants and 31 000 refugees. Physicians in this country may be surprised to know that, despite Canada’s universal health care system, many who reside here legally are never granted public health insurance. Other immigrants and refugees are granted coverage, but only after long delays: 4 provinces impose a mandatory 3-month waiting period — but in our experience, our patients’ wait has averaged 2.1 years. Many others reside in limbo: between 1997 and 2004 Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board adjudicated 228 000 refugee claims, approving only 40%. Rejected refugee claimants who continue to reside in Canada while they pursue legal avenues of appeal lose their eligibility for public insurance, either provincial or federal. Up to 15% of the 29 000 claims backlogged during the same period are abandoned annually because of cost and delay (www.irb-cisr.gc.ca), which again leads to losses of Interim Federal Health Benefits
- [http://are.berkeley.edu/APMP/pubs/agworkvisa/canada111503.html November 15, 2003 The Globe and Mail (Canada) 200,000 illegal immigrants toiling in Canada's underground economy
by Marina Jimenez
Health care coverage for migrants and refugees in Canada
Forms of Coverage
- St Joe's Hospital agreement with CHCs for pregnant women
- Toronto Community Services Resource Guide for Non-Status Immigrants - NOTE: this needs to be updated
- Immigrant Women's Health Centre
- Women Abuse Council of Toronto
- Mental Health Guide for Newcomers - multilingual
- The Gerstein Centre
- Across Boundaries
- Interpretation and Translation
- Interim Federal Health Program (IFH)
Access Issues
- Wellesley Institute blog - Canadian Medicare Not so Universal After All
- September 24, 2009. Special Delivery: the $5000 baby
- Faria Kamal talks about access to care - video
Recent changes to Canadian immigration policy
- November 1, 2009. How we're creating an illegal workforce
- Immigration's Tough New Face - Toronto Star Op-Ed
- Fees for Refugees Unfair
Canadian Border Services Agency Raids and Arrests
- June 25, 2009. More workers arrested in another immigration raid in SW Ontario
- May 29, 2009. Two Raids: Dozens of food packagers arrested for working in Southern Ontario
- April 5, 2009. Immigration Raids - over 100 workers arrested
Advocacy Plan
The issue
- Unequal access to health care services in Toronto
Why is this a problem?
Objectives of advocacy project
- Short-term (< 3 months)
- Medium-term (1 year)
- Long-term
Who is impacted by this
- Individuals without status
- Immigrants in first 3 months after arrival in Canada
- Refugee claimants whose claims are refused but who have not been deported
- Residents who are not eligible for any of the existing avenues to gain Canadian citizenship or permanent residency.
Who are the stakeholders who need to involved?
Action and resource requirements
What costs are involved? What are potential sources for funding and other resources?
Evaluation
How will the intervention be evaluated? By whom?
