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Canadian health-care spending to top $180B or $5,452 per person

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | November 19, 2009 at 04:21 pm

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A report released by The Canadian Institute for Health Information, forecast Health-Care spending in Canada to reach $183.1 billion for this year.

This brings the per capita cost up to $5,452, an increase of $241 per person or 5%.

Canada has one tenths of the population of the US. So multiplied by 10 this would be equal to $1.8 Trillion in the U.S.

Health Care takes a large chunk out of Provincial budgets. In Alberta, for example, 40% of the total budget is taken up by Health Care. Alberta is in the process of trying to skim a $1 Billion deficit of its Health Care budget.

Services and facilities are being cut from the system. Presently Alberta's rural communities are concerned that some of their rural health clinics will be closed in order to combine services in another health clinic.

In the community near to me, there are a majority of elderly people, many don.t drive other than in rural areas. Public transport to the city is practically non-existant, except for a Greyhound bus daily.

If the feared closures occur, how will Alberta's aging population in the rural areas be served?

Health-care spending in Canada is expected to reach $183.1 billion this year, up more than five per cent from last year, according to a report released on Thursday.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information's annual report on national health spending forecast an increase of $241 per person, raising total expenditures to an estimated $5,452 this year.

Health spending has risen since 2008 by more than five per cent, or an estimated $9.5 billion, before inflation.

The growth rate is in line with increases over the last seven years, said Chris Kuchciak, CIHI's manager of health expenditures in Ottawa.

Federal, provincial and territorial health ministries are about midway through the first ministers' 10-year plan to strengthen health care signed in 2004, so money committed then is still going through the system.

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Amy Judd

at 16:37 on November 19th, 2009

good story

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 16:50 on November 19th, 2009

Thank You Amy:)

marianmo

at 16:58 on November 19th, 2009

interesting...trying to think when i last went to the dr...got a flu shot...probably cost 50

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 17:00 on November 19th, 2009

Cost 50 for what marianmo?

marianmo

at 17:04 on November 19th, 2009

thats the estimated cost, i didnt pay for the shot itself its covered by health plan......just wondering who spent the other 5 grand lol

The_Cynic

at 20:44 on November 19th, 2009

I wanted to do a deeper story on this very subject, Karl - but, as always, you cannot get the correct figures out of either politicians or the companies who run the offices or charge Dr's for floor space to practice.

Anyway, what I mean to say is this; when I first got to Canada and because of human error I was sent a Bill for a 5 minute visit to the local doctor - that Bill came to $213.35. They, the company who owns the floor space where the Dr practices - they call themselves a 'health provider company' ( I am being deliberately vague at this point because of the story I want to write - but this is the charge for each patient that the Dr sees - no matter what time they spend with him.

That is one charge - the Dr charges another fee to the province.

So, if people feel that 'privatising' will cost less - they are fools, it costs more - hence the reason I want to write the story.

You can find this information out to a certain extent - but it does take time and a lot of digging and at least someone who is willing to show you the truth.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 02:31 on November 20th, 2009

I agree that the charges will not change by privatizing the system. This story was intended to show the rising costs of health care and how exceedingly difficult it can be to try to put a cost on a health care bill.

In this case 5% is the average incremental annual cost of Health Care which is not in line with the remainder of the economy which is running at deflation right now.

All Provincial Health Care providers are struggling with the rising cost and how to best deal with it. It boils down to some new innovations and to look at how some European countries are delivering health care to their people.

I know in Alberta they have long looked at a two tier system, which includes contracting out to some private clinics. The Province would still foot the bill.