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our Not-so-universal healthcare system: migrants and the uninsured in Canada

our Not-so-universal healthcare system: migrants and the uninsured in Canada. Ritika Goel, MD, MPH March 1 , 2014 – PHPC 2014. acknowledgements. Health for All – www.health4all.ca Scarborough Clinic for the Uninsured The people who live the struggles I will talk about .

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our Not-so-universal healthcare system: migrants and the uninsured in Canada

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  1. our Not-so-universal healthcare system:migrants and the uninsured in Canada Ritika Goel, MD, MPH March 1, 2014 – PHPC 2014

  2. acknowledgements • Health for All – www.health4all.ca • Scarborough Clinic for the Uninsured • The people who live the struggles I will talk about

  3. Historical context  

  4. Sarah’s story “They don’t inform you before coming to Canada that there is a 3 months waiting period. They do send you an immigration package. It talks about free health care; it doesn’t talk about a 3 months waiting period in it.” “The hospital and the charges, it’s a whole lot of money. The person just comes to the country, you haven’t settled yet, you haven’t got a job yet, and then you start by having bad credit, owing everywhere; …They create a world of debt which one cannot imagine, how [it can] be solved. And that to me, for an immigrant, is disastrous.” Source: http://www.cfp.ca/content/59/6/e269.full.pdf Sarah

  5. Permanent Residents 65,008 23,094 160,819 Refugees Economic Immigrants Family Class Privately Sponsored Refugee Spouses and Partners Parents and GPs GovtAssisted Refugee Skilled Workers Entre- preneurs 39,533 4,220 OHIP and IFH OHIP and IFH 5,430 479 21,815 91,469 Sons and Daughters Self-Employed Accepted Refugee Claimants Refugee Dependants Canadian Experience Class 2,715 242 9,359 4,858 3-month wait 8,586 Investors Porvincial/Territorial Nominees OHIP 2,928 Live-In Caregivers granted PR Accepted H&C 40,899 9,359 TOTAL = 257,887 9,012 OHIP 3-month wait

  6. Saleem’s story “I had heard Canada was a country of freedom. I was told Saskatoon processes refugee claims quickly so I came here.” “I don’t want health care. All I want is my family.” Source: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/refugee-claimant-with-cancer-worries-about-family-1.1253514 SaleemAkhtar

  7. Temporary Status Migrants 71,759 213,573 104, 810 20,461 Visitors Temporary Foreign Workers Refugee Claimants Foreign Students None or UHIP None or Private Seasonal Agricultural Worker From Designated Country of Origin (DCO) Designated Foreign National Live-In Caregivers 25,414 OHIP on arrival Depends on country of origin, in detention 6,242 3 month wait BasicaIlly no healthcare OHIP if F/T work International Arrangements Low Skill Pilot Program Not From DCO IFH for MDs, hospitals but no drugs, dental or vision 29,118 20,636 Workers for “Canadian Interests” TOTAL = 421,075 102,119

  8. What are the refugee health cuts?!! • April 25th, 2012, Minister Kenney made an announcement: “Canadians are a very generous people and Canada has a generous immigration system. However, we do not want to ask Canadians to pay for benefits for protected persons and refugee claimants that are more generous than what they are entitled to themselves.”

  9. The changes to ifh • Refugee claimants making an inland claim must wait until seeing an immigration officer to get IFH • Privately-sponsored refugees and refugee claimants all lost coverage for medicines, dental, vision care through IFH, still have hospital & MD coverage • Refugee claimants from “safe” countries get basically no health coverage – child with pneumonia, prenatal care, heart attacks • Confusion means that many claimants with coverage are being turned away

  10. Bill c-31 • Refugee system overhaul cutting processing times • 37 Designated Countries of Origin: • Mexico, Hungary, Czech Republic, Chile, South Korea, EU countries, USA, Australia • These countries have been deemed “non-refugee-producing” • Ignores issues of domestic violence, sexual orientation, persecuted ethnic minorities • Shorter times, no healthcare, no access to appeal, wait longer for H&C and PRRA

  11. Roma from hungary • Roma are the #1 ethnic minority in Europe • Estimated 10 million in Europe, 86% living in poverty • 500,000 Roma were murdered in Holocaust along with six million Jews and others killed for disability, orientation • Cannot claim refugee status in a European country • 2010: France deported 1000s of Roma families to Romania and Bulgaria • Roma children sent to “special needs” schools • Series of murders 2008-2009 in Hungary • Right-wing party Jobbik has 47 seats in parliament, received 1(out of 7) million votes Sources: http://www.canadianprogressiveworld.com/2013/01/30/in-hungary-racist-harper-government-billboards-targeting-roma/#.UojhjpQkG-Ehttp://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/sep/16/france-persecution-roma-sarkozy-brussels

  12. Where some of our taxes are going…

  13. duncan’s story Duncan Keith McCorkell, 1943-2012 Learn more about Duncan’s story in “Your Money or Your Life” – watch it for free at http://ymoyl.ichannel.ca/

  14. Non-Status Non-Status Inland Immigration Sponsorship Claimant Humanitarian & Compassionate Claimant No health insurance No health insurance No health insurance There are at least 200-500,000 uninsured people in Canada. This is thought to be a gross underestimate.

  15. This is not a coincidence • Nov 2011: Ban on sponsorship of parents & grandparents • April 2012: Temporary workers allowed to be paid 15% less • Oct 2012: Sponsored spouses must stay in the relationship for a minimum of 2 years or PR can be revoked • April 2012: IFH (refugee health) cuts announced • Dec 2012: Bill C-31 • Feb 2013 2012: Bill C-43 allows permanent residents convicted of crime >6mos to lose PR and be deported • 2013: 50% fewer refugee claims than 2012, and lowest acceptance rate (1/3) since 1989

  16. General trends • More categories and numbers of ‘temporary workers’ coming in to Canada • Decreasing access to services – health, wages • Limits being put on: refugees, refugee claimants, parents, grandparents, spouses • Decreasing security of immigration status • Demonization of migrants: spouses, bogus refugee claimants, “fair and generous immigration system”, “gold-plated healthcare”

  17. But there is hope…

  18. Ontario filled the gap!

  19. Toronto declared ‘sanctuary city’

  20. Hamilton declared ‘sanctuary city’

  21. What kind of society do we want to live in? Sarah Saleem Duncan

  22. Thank you. Please be in touch: ritikagoelto@gmail.com @RitikaGoelTO www.righttohealth.ca www.health4all.ca healthforalltoronto@gmail.com

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