Main conclusions:

• Canadians often misunderstand the true cost of our public health care system. 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.
• In 2016, the estimated average payment for public health care insurance ranges from $3,620 to $11,795 for six common Canadian family types, depending on the type of family.
• For the average Canadian family, between 2006 and 2016, the cost of public health care insurance increased 1.4 times faster than average income, 1.3 times as fast as the cost of food and at about the same pace as the cost of shelter.
• The 10% of Canadian families with the lowest incomes will pay an average of about $443 for public health care insurance in 2016. The 10% of Canadian families who earn an average income of $60,850 will pay an average of $5,516 for public health care insurance, and the families among the top 10% of income earners in Canada will pay $37,361.