Manitoba Per Capita Health Spending Highest in Canada (FC003)

The Manitoba government spends almost 20% more per capita on health care than the rest of Canada. If per capita spending was at the Canadian average it would spend about $500 million less than it presently does.
Published on December 1, 2000

 

Year Manitoba Saskatchewan Alberta Canada Avg.
1975 $414 $358 $419 $402
1976 $484 $423 $481 $461
1977 $534 $470 $503 $499
1978 $566 $502 $558 $544
1979 $611 $567 $664 $601
1980 $714 $670 $757 $687
1981 $835 $782 $890 $804
1982 $972 $938 $1,083 $934
1983 $1,075 $1,037 $1,214 $1,029
1984 $1,142 $1,096 $1,254 $1,092
1985 $1,211 $1,166 $1,348 $1,165
1986 $1,306 $1,288 $1,455 $1,247
1987 $1,394 $1,329 $1,443 $1,327
1988 $1,482 $1,428 $1,488 $1,426
1989 $1,607 $1,598 $1,617 $1,539
1990 $1,767 $1,781 $1,701 $1,644
1991 $1,809 $1,827 $1,757 $1,764
1992 $1,889 $1,817 $1,840 $1,825
1993 $1,872 $1,723 $1,816 $1,817
1994 $1,886 $1,769 $1,703 $1,822
1995 $1,932 $1,802 $1,578 $1,805
1996 $1,930 $1,833 $1,609 $1,783
1997 $2,008 $1,938 $1,743 $1,838
1998 $2,100 $2,053 $1,837 $1,946
1999 $2,340 $2,214 $2,049 $2,059
2000 $2,635 $2,340 $2,242 $2,198

OBSERVATIONS:

  • The Manitoba government spends almost 20% more per capita on health care than the rest of Canada. If per capita spending was at the Canadian average it would spend about $500 million less than it presently does.
  • Manitoba spends 12.6% more per capita on health care than Saskatchewan and 17.5% more than Alberta. Although Alberta’s population is younger on average, no demographic disparity explains the spread between health-care spending in Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
  • The average annual increase in government health-care spending in Canada is 7.5% a year over the last 25 years, in constant dollars.
  • After governments hit the debt wall in the early 1990s, the rate of increase tapered off considerably. For the years 1992-1997, the average annual increase was only 0.9%. Expansion of federal transfer payments in subsequent years have returned spending patterns to near average levels, and new increases only recently announced confirm a return to large annual increases in spending on health care.
  • Data on the current state of hospital crowding, waiting lists, delays and denials of medical procedures do not yet indicate a significant increase in health-care outcomes, despite accelerating spending levels.

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