Page - 414 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

VULNERABLE414 status.27 In Quebec, such public coverage would also be given to peo- ple who are in the three-month waiting period.28 However, policies concerning coverage for other health care services remain unchanged in these provinces. This dichotomy between health care for COVID- 19 and that for other medical conditions raises practical challenges. Do screening and treatment for suspected COVID-19 patients who subsequently test negative for the virus count as COVID-19-related? Likewise, when COVID-19 patients’ symptoms are intensified by underlying medical conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, would the cost of treating such comorbidities be paid by the gov- ernment? No provincial authorities have provided ready answers to these questions. Uncertainty also abounds for previously uninsured migrants when seeking to exercise their newly acquired health care entitle- ment. Reportedly, not all health care facilities in relevant provinces are aware of the policy changes, and some have continued to demand payment from migrant patients for services that are supposed to be free.29 For undocumented migrants, this disjunction between entitle- ment and access is aggravated by their fear of detection and deporta- tion. Although Canada has temporarily halted almost all deportations in the wake of the pandemic,30 collection of personal data by the law enforcement persists. In particular, as a part of its emergency mea- sures during the pandemic, Ontario has granted its first responders access to the personal information of individuals who test positive 27. “COVID-19 MCP Updates” (last modified 6 May 2020), online: Newfoundland and Labrador  Health  and  Community  Services  <health.gov.nl.ca/health/mcp/covid-19- mcp-updates.html>; “Questions and Answers About Our Services During the Pandemic” (last visited 9 May 2020), online: Régie  de  l’assurance  maladie <ramq. gouv.qc.ca/en/regie/press-room/Pages/questions-answers-services-during- pandemic.aspx> [RAMQ Policy]; Rachel Bergen, “Though Few are Aware, Newcomers in Manitoba Without Health Coverage Can Access COVID-19 Testing, Treatment”, CBC News (19 April 2020), online: <cbc.ca/news/canada/ manitoba/newcomers-manitoba-health-covid-19-1.5532114>. 28. RAMQ Policy, supra note 27. 29. See e.g. Emma Paling, “Migrants in Ontario Aren’t Getting the Free Health Care They were Promised”, Huffington  Post (22 April 2020), online: <huffingtonpost. ca/entry/migrants-ontario-coronavirus-free-health-care_ ca_5ea062eec5b69150246c07f7>; Lisa-Marie Gervais, “Des soins liés à la COVID- 19 facturés à des sans-papiers”, Le Devoir (27 April 2020), online: <ledevoir.com/ societe/sante/577784/des-soins-factures-a-des-sans-papiers>. 30. Rachel Ward, “Canadian Border Officials Halt Most Deportations in Face of COVID-19”, CBC News (18 March 2020), online: <cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/ cbsa-refugees-immigrants-deportations-1.5501334>.