Report says average Canadian family pays $19,060 for public health insurance
In 2025, the average Canadian family of two parents and two children is projected to contribute an estimated $19,060 to public healthcare insurance, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute
In 2025, the average Canadian family of two parents and two children is projected to contribute an estimated $19,060 to public healthcare insurance, according to a new report from the Fraser Institute.
The think tank suggests that many households may not fully realize the extent of their healthcare contributions made through taxes.
The report, The Price of Public Health Care Insurance, 2025, calculates health-care payments by family type using total taxes paid to all levels of government and the share of those tax revenues devoted to health.
A new report estimates 23.8 per cent of government tax revenues will be spent on health care in 2025-2026.
The average unattached individual (income: $60,032) will pay $5,703 for public health care insurance in 2025, while a two-parent family with one child will pay $18,336, and a two-adult household with no children will pay $17,338.
For single-parent families, the estimates are $5,934 (one child) and $5,213 (two children).
The figures are derived using the institute's Canadian Tax Simulator alongside data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information.
The institute estimates that the bottom 10 per cent of families will pay an average of $702 this year.
The median-income family, with an average income of $88,725, will pay $8,292.
Between 1997 and 2025, the cost of public health care insurance for the average family rose 256.4 per cent.
The report also points to CIHI figures showing governments spent about $5,844 per Canadian.
The authors say the goal of the estimates is to help Canadians assess whether they are receiving good value for their tax dollars.
 | A guest post by
|