The $21,000 myth of ‘free’ health care
Canadians are paying more than ever to fund public health care—even as wait times stretch to nearly seven months.
Canadians love boasting about their “free” health care, but a new report suggests taxpayers are paying a hefty—and steadily rising—price for a system plagued by long wait times and overcrowded hospitals.
A new Fraser Institute study, The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2026, estimates the average Canadian family of four earning a household income of $202,885 will pay $21,115 this year to fund public health care through taxes.
The report argues that because Canada finances health care through general tax revenues rather than direct premiums or dedicated health-care taxes, most Canadians have little idea how much of their income goes toward the system.
“Canadians often misunderstand the true cost of our public health-care system,” wrote study authors Nadeem Esmail, Nathaniel Li and Milagros Palacios.
“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.”
