Jul 10
31
How much do Canadians pay for health care?
“Canadians often misunderstand the true cost of their public health care system. This is partly because health care consumption is free at the point of use, leading many to grossly underestimate the actual cost of the care delivered. Furthermore, health care is financed through general government revenues rather than through a dedicated tax, further blurring the true dollar cost of the service. In addition, health spending numbers are often presented in aggregate, which results in a number so large that it becomes almost meaningless to the average Canadian.”
So begins a brief report on the real cost of health care to Canadians, published earlier this year by the Fraser Institute and written by Nadeem Esmail and Milagros Palacios.
The T$121.6 billion (where T$ stands for Taxpayer Dollars) spent on publicly
funded health care in 2008/2009 breaks down to $3,650 per Canadian, including children and other dependents.
“In 2009, the average unattached (single) individual, who earned slightly less than $35,000, paid approximately $3,228 for public health care insurance. An average Canadian family consisting of two adults and two children (earning a little more than $104,100) paid about $9,100 for public health care insurance,” report Mr. Esmail and Mr. Palacios.