Program directory · Department of Indigenous Services
Supplementary Health Benefits
- Department
- Department of Indigenous Services
- Program code
- BYP05 (INDSC)
- Core responsibility
- Indigenous Well-Being and Self-Determination
- In Departmental Plans
- 2023-24 – 2026-27 · New since an earlier plan
What it does
Provision of coverage for medically necessary health benefits to registered First Nations and
recognized Inuit in Canada who are not otherwise covered by other public or private plans. Health benefits include prescription and some over-the-counter medication, dental care, vision care, medical supplies & equipment, mental health counseling and medical transportation to access health services not available locally.
Source: the department's Program Inventory, via GC InfoBase.
History and lineage
First appears in GC InfoBase's actual spending by program in 2023-24. The data does not record when a program was created; it may be older than its first appearance here, which is limited by the sources (program spending starts in 2010-11, Departmental Plans in 2018-19).
| Program | Relation | Years with data | Actual spending over those years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supplementary Health Benefits | Earlier program (name match, high confidence) | 2018-19 – 2020-21 | $1.44B |
| Supplementary Health Benefits | Earlier program (name match, high confidence) | 2019-20 – 2024-25 | $6.83B |
| Supplementary Health Benefits | This program | 2023-24 – 2028-29 | $4.58B |
Significant changes in scope and budget
Detected from the data: renames between plans, programs it appears to replace, merge with or split into (matched by name), year-over-year changes in spending of at least 25% and $5M, or in employees of at least 20% and 25 FTEs, linked budget measures, and results indicators added or dropped.
| Year | What changed | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Appears to replace Supplementary Health Benefits | Canada Spends name match across plans (an inference) |
| 2025-26 | Planned employees (FTEs) 555, against 711 in 2024-25 (−22%). | FTEs (GC InfoBase) |
Success criteria
The program's indicators from its department's Departmental Results Framework: the target set in each year's plan, and the result reported the following year. Source: GC InfoBase.
Historical: targets against results
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | ≥ 74% | 2024 | 74% Includes distinct claimant counts across five Non-Insured Health Benefits: Pharmacy, Medical Supplies & Equipment, Dental Care, Vision Care, and Mental Health. Due to system and data limitations, claimants of the Medical Transportation benefit have not been included in this analysis. | Met |
| 2024-25 | ≥ 74% | 2025 | 74.9% Includes distinct claimant counts across five Non-Insured Health Benefits: Pharmacy, Medical Supplies & Equipment, Dental Care, Vision Care, and Mental Health. Due to system and data limitations, claimants of the Medical Transportation benefit have not been included in this analysis. | Met |
Current: the 2026-27 plan's targets
Bars: result reported. Dashed line: target.
| Report year | Target | Due | Result | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-27 | ≥ 74% | 2027 | — | Planned |
Future goals: targets due after 2026-27
No targets with a later due date.
Spending and employees: planned against actual
Spending
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | $1.75B | $2.17B |
| 2024-25 | $1.77B | $2.41B |
| 2025-26 | $2.71B | — |
| 2026-27 | $2.17B | — |
| 2027-28 | $2.3B* | — |
| 2028-29 | $2.44B* | — |
Employees (FTEs)
Show the numbers
| Fiscal year | Planned | Actual |
|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 | 474 | 662 |
| 2024-25 | 550 | 711 |
| 2025-26 | 555 | — |
| 2026-27 | 635 | — |
| 2027-28 | 634* | — |
| 2028-29 | 634* | — |
Planned spending, plan by plan
Each row is one year's Departmental Plan and its forecast for the next three fiscal years; read a column down to see how the forecast for one year changed. The last row is what was actually spent. Click an amount for its source. Biggest changes in federal spending plans
| Plan | 2023-24 | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023-24 plan | $1,745,696,341 | $1,775,407,279 | $1,979,826,614 | |||
| 2024-25 plan | $1,773,125,307 | $1,982,810,769 | $2,010,963,819 | |||
| 2025-26 plan | $2,708,169,649 | $2,173,389,312 | $2,299,534,295 | |||
| 2026-27 plan | $2,173,374,253 | $2,299,305,069 | $2,438,513,814 | |||
| Actual | $2,171,915,460 | $2,409,550,873 |
Actual spending is from Departmental Results Reports and the Public Accounts, as published in GC InfoBase. FTEs are full-time equivalents.
