Last updated on February 4th, 2020
The Canadian Healthcare System is considered as one of the best in the world. Fortunately for Canadian citizens, medical services are mostly free, with the government shouldering a gigantic proportion of the expenses. However, the story is different for those who are neither citizens nor permanent residents.
In 2008, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) conducted a survey about how much hospitalization costs on the average. Because medical bills usually vary widely from city to city (and province to province) the CIHI created a paper that lists down the average costs for every significant procedure done in the country’s hospitals. Now let’s take a deeper look.
On the average, a hospital stay costs approximately CA$ 8,000 per individual. However, trends show that costs increase as the patients age increases. That it, it is more expensive to treat older people than younger ones. For example, average hospitalization costs for persons aged 60 to 79 is CA$ 8,777, while those who are 80 years old and up may have to pay CA$ 9,661.
Moreover, costs also rise depending on what experts call as the “comorbidity factor” level of a patient. This figure helps healthcare professionals assess the overall complexity of treating a patient. Essentially, a patient with a low comorbidity factor is simpler to treat and will thus incur smaller medical bills.
For example, a person with a history of diabetes or high blood pressure may be assigned to a higher comorbidity level than someone does not suffer from one. This is quite common in the middle-aged and the elderly, who are usually more prone to contracting these conditions.
Of course, these numbers cover all kinds of sicknesses, ranging from the common cold to advanced treatments for Parkinson’s disease. In line with this, let’s take a look at the more common ailments that usually strike.
- A visit to the doctor due to fever costs CA$ 2,572.
- Meanwhile, treatment for unspecified viral diseases cost around CA$1,882.
- On the other hand a terrible bout of the common flu may require you to shell out CA$ 2,145
This is the same reason why visitors to Canada or new immigrants – who are not covered by universal healthcare – usually buy health insurance before they go here.
For example, Super Visa Insurance policies, issued to visiting parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents, cover most of the hefty hospitalization costs. At a fraction of the price, visitors to Canada can thoroughly enjoy their stay, knowing that they will be given high quality care no matter what. It is why we are offering the wide range of options in buying Super Visa Insurance and Travel To Canada Insurance.
Source: https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/2008hospcosts_report_f.pdf
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