Health costs to total $242B in Canada

Saskatchewan fifth in per capita spending in 2017

Total health expenditure in Saskatchewan is expected to be nearly $8.1 billion this year, which amounts to $6,982 for every resident of the province.

In a report released Tuesday, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) forecasts that $242 billion will be spent on health in Canada this year — a record high and more than $9 billion above the amount spent in 2016. This is the equivalent of $6,604 for every Canadian.

Health spending includes the money used to run hospitals, pay doctors, buy drugs and support public health programs. About 65 per cent comes from provincial governments, while the rest comes from the federal government, municipal governments, social security funds and private-sector bodies, including citizens and private insurance companies paying for products and services.

According to the CIHI report, health costs have been increasing because of population growth, population aging, inflation and changes in technologies and services.

Although people aged 65 and older account for 16 per cent of the Canadian population, they are the benefactors of roughly 46 per cent of the money provincial and territorial governments pour into health care. Across Canada, provincial and territorial governments spent an average of $11,758 on health for every person aged 65 and older — more than four times the $2,772 spent on health for Canadians aged 15 to 64.

Per-capita health spending is highest in the territories because of the challenges of large geographical areas and small populations. Per-capita health spending for the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and the Yukon are projected to be $17,150, $14,936 and $11,222 respectively.

Among provinces, the highest per-capita health spending was forecast to be in Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and Manitoba at $7,378, $7,329 and $7,182 respectively. The lowest per-capita health spending is expected to be in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec at $6,321, $6,367 and $6,434 respectively.

Saskatchewan ranked fifth among provinces for per capita health spending.