A typical Canadian family of four will pay an estimated $15,847 for public health–care insurance this year, finds a new study released by the Fraser Institute, an independent, non–partisan Canadian public policy think–tank.
Most Canadians are unaware of the true cost of health care because they never see a bill for medical services, may only be aware of partial costs collected via employer health taxes and contributions (in provinces that impose them), and because general government revenue—not a dedicated tax—funds Canada’s public health–care system.
The study – The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2022 – estimates that a typical Canadian family consisting of two parents and two children with an average household income of $156,086 will pay $15,847 for public health care this year. Couples without dependent children will pay an estimated $15,229. Single Canadians will pay $4,907 for health care insurance, and single parents with one child will pay $5,812.
Since 1997, the first year for which data is available, the cost of healthcare for the average Canadian family has increased substantially, and has risen more quickly than its income. In fact, whereas health care costs have increased 210.3 per cent, average incomes have only increased by 116.3 per cent over the same period.
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- The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2022. Fraser Institute. August 2022.