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A new study released today by the Fraser Institute says a typical Canadian family with two parents and two children will pay up to $11,786 for public health care in 2014.
“Health care in Canada is not free—while Canadians may not pay directly for medical services, they pay a substantial amount of money for health care through taxes,” said Bacchus Barua, study co-author and senior economist in the Fraser Institute’s Centre for Health Policy Studies.
In fact, most Canadians are unaware of the true cost of health care because they are not billed for any portion of physician and hospital services covered by tax-funded health care insurance. Moreover, general government revenue—not a dedicated tax—bankrolls health care, while health care premiums (where applied among provinces) cover only a fraction of health care costs.
However, using data from Statistics Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information, the study estimates the amount of taxes Canadian families will pay for public health insurance in 2014, and by how much it has increased over the last decade. For example:
In 2014, the average single individual earning roughly $42,000 will pay $4,381 for public health care insurance.
A family of two adults and two children earning approximately $118,000 in 2014 will pay $11,786 for public health care insurance.
And what about the cost of health care insurance among income groups?
The 10 per cent of Canadian families with the lowest income will pay an average of $523 for public health care insurance in 2014.
In 2014, the 10 per cent of Canadian families with an average income of $57,818 will pay an average of $5,522.
And families among the top 10 per cent of income earners in Canada will pay $37,239 for public health care insurance.
Finally, between 2004 and 2014, the cost of health care insurance for the average Canadian family (all family types) increased by 53.3 per cent, dwarfing increases in income (34.7 per cent), shelter (40.7 per cent), clothing (33.4 per cent) and food (15.6 per cent).
“The cost of health care in Canada is rising and it’s ordinary Canadians and their families who pay the bill,” Barua said.
“Any debate about health care in Canada has to acknowledge the real cost Canadians pay through taxes. Once Canadians know how much health care actually costs them, they can then decide if the system delivers good value for their money.”
Agencies/Canadajournal
Since when is anything reported by the Frazer Institute creditable? They are a extremist far right think tank supported by US interests. Just ignore this article, it is a lie.
It may be rising, but it is still almost exactly half (~50%) of what the average fictional family of four was paying for Health Care in the United States as of May of 2013 (at least according to Forbes) … just saying.
… … I live in Toronto, Ontario, where over the past 11 years, the Liberal Government has wiped the health care system right off the face of the Province!
According to my MPP’s Office, there is a shortage of doctors in Ontario and the Government is looking at bringing 5,000 into the system. I don’t believe them because I was told by a Family Doctor that the Government is replacing the Family Practice with Walk In Clinics. The problem is, the doctors working in these clinics are limited in the services they provide and most of the doctors are refugees who don’t know their heads from their asses. Essentially, they have left us without medical care entirely.
After all the taxes Canadians pay that we are told cover our essential services, of which health care is one, and we are not receiving any health care in Ontario. This is extortion on the part of the Ontario Government!
At the very least, provide us with qualified doctors on a pay-per-visit basis so that we can stay in good health. Instead, we are forced to find remedies at our local health food stores and they don’t quite do the job!
I think this is genocide!
The Liberal Government is leaving the populace of Ontario debilitated with health problems and without care on top of all the rest of all their screw ups that have left white, Christian Canadians, who are born right here on this soil, impoverished since they’ve extorted all our wealth from us and used the proceeds to bankroll the refugee movement in Ontario.
A fifty percent increase in ten years is like 5% per year, which is basically just inflation.
What is it my old high school teacher used to tell us ? There are liars, there are da.. liars, and then there are statisticians.
Looks like he was talking about The Fraser institute.