Interim Federal Health Program: Prescription Drugs

Canada Dept: The Interim Federal Health Program provides health-care coverage to refugees when they first arrive in Canada. It pays for items such as doctor visits, hospital care, prescription drugs and eyeglasses until the refugees are added to provincial health-care plans. About 128,000 refugees were enrolled in the program earlier this year, according to Winnipeg Free Press. The change will save about $20 million a year and came amid billions of dollars in cuts to federal spending as Ottawa works to reduce the federal deficit. Kenney has said the decision was made to ensure refugees aren't getting more generous health-care coverage than most Canadians and oTTAWA -- Winnipeg Liberal MP Kevin Lamoureux wants the federal Conservatives to provide the research that led to their decision to cut refugees off of temporary health-care coverage. Immigration Minister Jason Kenney cut off all but government-assisted refugees from the program as of June 30. Regular refugees have access to health-care coverage for emergencies or to treat a disease that could be a public-health risk. Government-assisted refugees, those who are entirely supported by the government when they arrive in Canada, will still have most health-care needs paid for. Government-sponsored refugees are those referred to Canada by the United Nations. About one-third of refugees fall into this category. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.