Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP)

Provides limited, temporary coverage of health-care benefits to protected persons, including resettled refugees, refugee claimants, and certain other groups who are not eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance.

• Basic coverage of resettled refugees is provided only until the beneficiary qualifies for provincial or territorial health insurance. Supplemental and prescription drug coverage is provided as long as the beneficiary receives income support from the Resettlement Assistance Program or until the beneficiary is no longer under private sponsorship.
• Basic, supplemental, and prescription drug coverage of protected persons in Canada is provided for 90 days from the date the asylum claim or pre-removal risk assessment (PRRA) is accepted, or until they become eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance.
• Basic, supplemental, and prescription drug coverage of refugee claimants continues until the beneficiary leaves Canada or becomes eligible for provincial or territorial health insurance. IFHP coverage will be cancelled immediately when an individual's asylum claim is withdrawn, found to be abandoned by the Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB), or re-determined as ineligible and the individual isn't eligible to apply for a PRRA.
• Basic, supplemental, and prescription drug coverage of victims of human trafficking who have a valid temporary resident permit continues for the duration of the temporary resident permit.
• Basic, supplemental, and prescription drug coverage of individuals in detention under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) continues for the period that the individual is detained by the Canada Border Service Agency under the IRPA.

The online Application for Interim Federal Health Program Coverage form lets applicants apply for new coverage, extend their current IFHP coverage, or ask for confirmation of IFHP coverage if their original IFHP eligibility document has been lost, stolen or destroyed. Applicants waiting to extend their coverage must apply six weeks before their current eligibility period expires.

Coverage details:

• Basic: inpatient and outpatient hospital services; services from health-care professionals licensed in Canada (including pre- and post-natal care; laboratory, diagnostic, and ambulance services).
• Supplemental: limited dental and vision care; home care and long-term care; services from allied health-care practitioners (including clinical psychologists, occupational therapists, speech language therapists, physiotherapists); assistive devices, and medical supplies and equipment (including orthopedic and prosthetic equipment, mobility aids, hearing aids, diabetic supplies, incontinence supplies, oxygen equipment).
• Prescription: applies to most prescription medications and other products listed on provincial or territorial public drug plan formularies.

The benefits covered by the IFHP are limited and have prescribed maximum dollar amounts. For more details, visit the Summary of Coverage web page. Does not cover the cost of health-care services or products that a person may claim (even in part) under a public or private health insurance plan. Does not coordinate benefits with other insurance plans/programs so co-payments aren't possible.

Program is delivered by Medavie Blue Cross, and they maintain a BC-wide service provider list of physicians, dentists, optometrists, midwives, pharmacies, etc who are registered with IFH; inclusion on this list does not mean that the provider is necessarily accepting new patients.