COW – Interim Federal Health Program Costs and Measures Taken – May 28, 2026

• The Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) provides limited and temporary health coverage to certain eligible migrant groups who are not yet covered by a provincial or territorial health plan.
• Eligibility is tied to immigration status and the program is tightly managed.
• IFHP costs increased as asylum claim volumes increased.

Co-payments

• We needed targeted changes to keep the program sustainable. That's why we introduced co-payments as part of Budget 2025.
• Co-payments for supplemental benefits came into effect on May 1, 2026.
• Beneficiaries now pay $4 per prescription and 30% of the cost of all other supplemental benefits like dental, vision, and mental health services.
• Basic health care benefits, including hospital and physician care, remains fully covered with no co-payments.

Parliamentary Budget Officer Report

• The Parliamentary Budget Officer (PBO) report from earlier this week shows that our measures are working.
• Co-payments introduced in Budget 2025 are projected to reduce federal costs by about $217M annually by 2029–2030.
• The PBO also finds that illustrative Bill C-12 eligibility changes could reduce costs by up to $220M annually by 2029–2030.
• Overall, the report confirms that policy levers on cost-sharing and eligibility both materially reduce projected IFHP expenditures over time.