Health-care costs for typical Canadian family will eclipse $12,000 this year; up nearly 70% since 1997

The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2017 Edition

• Canadians often misunderstand the true cost of our public health care system. This occurs partly because Canadians do not incur direct expenses for their use of health care, and partly because Canadians cannot readily determine the value of their contribution to public health care insurance.
• In 2017, the estimated average payment for public health care insurance ranges from $3,994 to $12,410 for six common Canadian family types, depending on the type of family.
• For the average Canadian family, between 1997 and 2017, the cost of public health care insurance increased 3.2 times as fast as the cost of food, 2.7 times as fast as the cost of clothing, 1.9 times as fast as the cost of shelter, and 1.8 times faster than average income.
• The 10% of Canadian families with the lowest incomes will pay an average of about $471 for public health care insurance in 2017. The 10% of Canadian families who earn an average income of $63,163 will pay an average of $5,789 for public health care insurance, and the families among the top 10% of income earners in Canada will pay $39,123.