Canada Health Transfer deductions and reimbursements
On this page
- What is the Canada Health Transfer
- Deductions for patient charges
- Reimbursements
- Deductions and reimbursement tables, 2023 to 2026
What is the Canada Health Transfer
The Canada Health Act is Canada's federal legislation for public health insurance. It outlines the conditions and criteria that provinces and territories must meet when providing their publicly funded health care insurance plans. It ensures that medically necessary services are covered on the same terms and conditions for everyone and that they are provided free of charge.
The federal government provides funding to provinces and territories for health care via the Canada Health Transfer.
Provinces and territories receive their full health transfer funding if their publicly funded health insurance plan meets the requirements of the act. If they do not, the federal government makes deductions to the health transfer. Reimbursements are possible in some cases.
Deductions for patient charges
If patients are charged to access medically necessary services, Health Canada works with the province or territory to find a solution. If no solution is found, the health transfer payment is reduced by the amount the patient paid (dollar for dollar). This encourages provinces and territories to eliminate patient charges that should have already been paid for by taxes.
Reimbursements
The federal government also has a policy that reimburses provinces and territories for deductions made to their health transfer payment. To receive a reimbursement, the province or territory must eliminate patient charges for medically necessary services and address the circumstances that led to those charges.
Under our reimbursement policy, provinces and territories receive:
- all the deducted amount back if they eliminate all patient charges and fix the underlying causes
- some of the deducted amount back if they eliminate some of the patient charges
Provinces and territories have 2 years to qualify for reimbursement after a deduction. Sometimes the amount they get back can be more than the amount that was deducted. This is because the amount they get back can include reimbursements for deductions taken in that year and up to the 2 previous years.
Learn more about CHT deductions and reimbursements in a current Canada Health Act annual report.
If you think you have been charged for a medically necessary service, you can:
- report it to your provincial or territorial health ministry
- email our Canada Health Act Division at medicare.spb.chad-dlcs.dgps.assurance.maladie@hc-sc.gc.ca
Deductions and reimbursement tables, 2023 to 2026
The following tables list the CHT deductions and reimbursements authorized for the last 4 years.
| Province or territory | Deductions | Reimbursements |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $24,428,469 | $22,273,426 |
| Alberta | $759,280 | $569,438 |
| Saskatchewan | $774,090 | 0 |
| Manitoba | $3,400 | 0 |
| Ontario | 0 | $14,790 |
| Quebec | $37,398,350 | $18,699,175 |
| New Brunswick | $916,349 | $148,025 |
| Nova Scotia | $768,324 | $768,324 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $3,456 | $3,110 |
| Yukon | 0 | $50 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | $65,051,718 | $42,476,308 |
| Province or territory | Deductions | Reimbursements |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $23,520,110 | $20,982,322 |
| Alberta | $759,250 | $5,704,137 |
| Saskatchewan | $1,074,150 | 0 |
| Manitoba | 0 | 0 |
| Ontario | $26,240 | $29,520 |
| Quebec | $35,249,525 | $21,149,715 |
| New Brunswick | $850,835 | $239,475 |
| Nova Scotia | $720,635 | $3,792,929 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $3,787 | $3,787 |
| Yukon | $50 | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | $62,204,582 | $51,901,885 |
| Province | Deductions | Reimbursements |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $18,118,721 | $22,405,749 |
| Alberta | $20,450,175 | $20,538,796 |
| Saskatchewan | $1,084,513 | 0 |
| Manitoba | $650 | $354,477 |
| Ontario | $32,800 | $43,296 |
| Quebec | $36,014,132 | $46,728,814 |
| New Brunswick | $1,903,910 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | $1,794,635 | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | $1,255 | $1,255 |
| Yukon | 0 | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | $79,400,791 | $90,072,387 |
| Province | Deductions | Reimbursements |
|---|---|---|
| British Columbia | $23,110,530 | $15,556,669 |
| Alberta | $13,781,152 | 0 |
| Saskatchewan | $742,447 | 0 |
| Manitoba | $353,827 | 0 |
| Ontario | $32,800 | 0 |
| Quebec | $41,867,224 | 0 |
| New Brunswick | $1,342,509 | 0 |
| Nova Scotia | $1,277,659 | 0 |
| Prince Edward Island | 0 | 0 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | 0 | 0 |
| Yukon | 0 | 0 |
| Northwest Territories | 0 | 0 |
| Nunavut | 0 | 0 |
| Totals | $82,508,148 | $15,556,669 |