A new study from the Fraser Institute says a typical Canadian family of four will pay an estimated $19,060 for public health-care insurance this year.
The report, released Monday by the independent, non-partisan think tank, calculates how much Canadians contribute to the health system through various forms of taxation.
"Canadians pay a substantial amount of money for health care through a variety of taxes, even if we don't pay directly for medical services," said Nadeem Esmail, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2025.
The study found that a family consisting of two parents and two children with an average household income of $188,691 will pay $19,060 for health care this year. Couples without children will pay an estimated $17,338, while single Canadians will contribute $5,703. Single parents with one child will pay about $5,934.
The report argues that most Canadians are unaware of the true cost of health care because they never receive a bill for medical services. It notes that only partial costs are visible through employer health taxes and contributions in some provinces, while the majority of funding comes from general government revenues rather than a dedicated tax.
The Fraser Institute says the cost of public health care for the average Canadian family has risen significantly since 1997, the first year for which data is available. Over that period, the cost has increased faster than both family income and major household expenses.
According to the study, the average family’s health-care bill grew 2.2 times as fast as the cost of food, 1.6 times as fast as housing, and 1.6 times as fast as income.
"Understanding how much Canadians actually pay for health care, and how much that amount has increased over time, is an important first step for taxpayers to assess the value and performance of the health-care system, and whether it's financially sustainable," Esmail said.