A new study by the Fraser Institute has found that the average Canadian family of four will pay almost $17,000 this year for public healthcare insurance.
The study, released on Thursday, calculated the cost of healthcare for families based on their income and tax rates.
The study found that a family of two parents and two children with an average income of $169,296 will pay $16,950 for public health care insurance in 2023.
A couple without children will pay $16,162, while a single person will pay $5,622. A single parent with one child will pay $6,294.
The study also compared the cost of healthcare with other expenses and income over time. It found that since 1997, the cost of public health care insurance for the average Canadian family has increased by 223%, much faster than the cost of clothing (53%), food (100%), shelter (125%), and income (131%).
Fraser Institute researchers argue that Canadians are oblivious to the true costs of universal healthcare.
They suggest that Canadians should have more information about how much they pay for healthcare and how it is delivered.
“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 Bacchus Barua, director of health policy studies at the Fraser Institute and co-author of the study.
“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.”
Provinces throughout Canada are struggling as Canadians face longer wait times in emergency rooms and for life-saving procedures.
Attitudes have shifted in recent years with more Canadians advocating for private healthcare options for certain procedures.
According to a poll from last year, 72% of Canadians supported introducing private clinic options or reimbursements for work done abroad into public coverage.
