When Omer Obiedallah started experiencing rapidly worsening tooth pains this spring, he did what many people would do and booked an appointment with the dentist.
Though he made the appointment in April, Obiedallah, who lives in Hamilton, wasn’t able to see a dentist until May — landing him on the wrong side of cuts to the federal program that grants refugees like him access to healthcare.
These changes mean his initial dental assessment cost him more than $120 out of pocket.
“I’ll tell you this is way more than I can afford,” he told CBC News.
Cuts to the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) — which left access to essential and emergency services untouched — kicked in on May 1.
The changes mean refugees now have to co-pay 30 per cent for “supplemental” services like mental health counselling, emergency dental, or basic vision care, as well as medical devices like hearing aids, wheelchairs or prosthetic legs. They also have to pay $4 for any prescriptions.
Obiedallah says the co-pay will put the services in question out of reach for himself and others like him.
A refugee from Sudan, Obiedallah says he’s had no luck finding regular work in the two years he’s been in Canada — despite his 20-year background as a physician back home.
He’s now making money doing deliveries for Uber Eats and says he’s lucky if he makes $400 in a week.
Obiedallah says he’s still waiting on his dentist to tell him what follow-up treatments he may need, but added she indicated that several procedures might be necessary, including tooth extraction.
Obiedallah says whatever interventions she recommends, he expects he’ll have to live without it.
“I don’t think I’m gonna continue on this treatment. I cannot afford it,” he said.
With his background in medicine, Obiedallah says he’s learned from experience that treating emergencies is more expensive than using preventative measures, but added he has no choice.
He says he’ll have to wait until the situation gets bad enough that he’s forced to go to a hospital.
“I have no other option than to wait till it is an emergency.”
Danielle Steenwyk-Rowaan, a refugee worker with Open Homes Hamilton who has been helping Obiedallah, says his case is a perfect illustration of why these cuts are cruel and financially counterproductive.
“If somebody can’t afford an antibiotic, you know, that might lead to a hospitalization,” she said.
“If you don’t get the meds for your diabetes, that can lead to things like stroke, ICU admission, even amputation. And so it’s not hard to see how these things start to cascade.”
She said that while the $4 fee to fill prescriptions might not seem like a lot to many Canadians, for refugees, especially if they need regular refills for multiple drugs, it can quickly get beyond their means.
All this, she says, means the cuts will ultimately cost more than they save.
“You’re going to see increased hospitalizations. And who’s going to pay for that? It’s the provinces and territories,” she said. “So, really, costs are not being saved, they’re being shifted.”
Steenwyk-Rowaan also points out that refugees are sparing users of health care. According to the Canadian Refugee Health Network, the IFHP spent an average of $1,645 per refugee in 2025, three times less than what the average Canadian cost their province’s public health insurance program.
But Ottawa says the cuts will save money and keep the program financially sustainable.
Mary Rose Sabater, a spokesperson at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said, in an email to CBC that the cuts were needed to “manage growing demand.”
This change to a health program for refugees could put people’s health at risk, experts say
Sabater said initial IRCC estimates show the cuts could save the federal government nearly $127 million in 2026-27 and more than $230 in subsequent years.
She said the cost of the program “is largely determined by the volume of eligible beneficiaries and the length of time beneficiaries remain eligible for coverage,” and said the federal government is taking action to reduce refugee claims by closing “loopholes at the border” and increasing “scrutiny of visa applications.”
She said those efforts helped drive down the number of refugee claims by 35 per cent in 2025 compared to the year before, and that the government is cutting down processing times for claimants.
Steenwyk-Rowaan says however the government rationalizes the cuts, they’ll lead to worse health outcomes for refugees.
She says that besides pushing for the federal government to repeal the cuts, she’s not sure what her organization can do to help people like Obiedallah stay healthy.
“We’re a small program,” she said. “We are considering a loan program for people who are really in dire straits. But bottom line we can’t fill in this gap ourselves.”
