Community Victory: Refugee Claimants' Canadian Babies Get Health Care from Birth

For over five years, Sanctuary Health with the solidarity and support of other migrant organizations and allies has been calling on the Ministry of Health and the Medical Services Commission to end the Wait Period for MSP Coverage for people coming from outside of Canada, people who have recently obtained immigration status and newborn babies. Most provinces do not have a wait period for people in these circumstances. On March 1st 2020, Ontario and BC both removed their wait periods. Only BC rushed to bring back their wait period on July 31st 2020.

We have repeatedly highlighted one of the clearest examples of the unreasonableness of this policy: that BC puts newborn babies in the wait period including, until recently, the babies of refugee claimants. This week, the Ministry of Health informed us that effective February 20, 2024, babies born in BC to refugee claimants with IFHP coverage may be provided with date of birth MSP coverage, regardless of the parent’s own eligibility for MSP.

We are thrilled for pregnant refugee claimants and refugee claimants who are new parents! Hospital finance departments are surely also happy that they will no longer need to chase new refugee claimant families for money that they don’t have and won’t need to sell the debts to Collections companies at a loss. We will not stop fighting until everyone in our communities including all newborn babies have access to health care without fear of debt or deportation

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Instructions from the Ministry of Health regarding registering the newborn babies of refugee claimants for MSP when their parents are not eligible for MSP
 

Effective February 20, 2024, babies born in BC to refugee claimants with IFHP coverage may be provided with date of birth MSP coverage, regardless of the parent’s own eligibility for MSP.

To demonstrate IFHP coverage, parents must submit one of the following:

•     Acknowledgement of Claim and Notice to Return for Interview letter (AOC)
•     Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD) (with photo)
•     Temporary Document for Lost/Stolen Refugee Protection Claimant Document (RPCD)
•     Interim Federal Health Program Certificate (IFHC) (with or without a photo)

To enrol a child born to a refugee claimant with IFHP coverage, a parent or guardian must submit a BC Application for Health and Drug Coverage paper form on the child’s behalf using only the child’s personal information as the applicant. The application may be found online at Apply for B.C. health and drug coverage - Province of British Columbia (gov.bc.ca) and must include:

•     Signature of the parent(s);
•     A copy of the child’s birth certificate;
•     A copy of the parent’s immigration document (one of the IFHP documents listed above must be submitted for date of birth coverage to be provided); and,
•     Parent or guardian contact information on a separate piece of paper.

Health Insurance BC requires parental or guardianship information in order to communicate regarding minor account holders.