{"id":269852,"date":"2021-11-05T10:31:31","date_gmt":"2021-11-05T14:31:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/issues\/home-care-spending-data-are-a-launching-point-for-better-policies\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T23:43:36","modified_gmt":"2025-10-08T03:43:36","slug":"home-care-spending-data-are-a-launching-point-for-better-policies","status":"publish","type":"issues","link":"https:\/\/policyoptions.irpp.org\/fr\/2021\/11\/home-care-spending-data-are-a-launching-point-for-better-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Home care spending data are a launching point for better policies"},"content":{"rendered":"

When I grow old, I want to live in my home and avoid having to move into a long-term care residence until my health needs require me to do so. My modest wishes are identical to the desires of nearly all Canadians<\/a> who are considering their later years. But to make this a reality, the provinces and territories must expand publicly funded home care options.<\/p>\n

In recent decades, progress on this score has been snail-like. Despite increased investments in home care, rates of caregiver distress<\/a> are on the rise as people try to overcome the burdens of delivering and navigating care<\/a> options for their loved ones.<\/p>\n

But we may be at a turning point now. The pandemic has increased political pressure for change. November 4 was a landmark day for reform: the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) updated its annual National Health Expenditure Database<\/a> (the primary source of comparative health spending data in Canada), and for the first time it included provincial government spending on home and community care.<\/p>\n

These data are key to policy planning, decision-making and research. How much money governments spend on areas of need is the ultimate indicator of their true priorities. More importantly, the general public needs this information to hold elected officials accountable for their decisions and ensure they follow through on their promises.<\/p>\n

Who spends what on home and community care? \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

In 2020-21, just more than 5 per cent of total provincial health care spending went toward home and community care (HCC). This compares with 11 per cent that went toward care in LTC institutions (and the roughly one in every four health spending dollars that went to hospitals).<\/p>\n

In the last five years, the average annual increase in provincial HCC spending was 5 per cent, slightly outpacing the 4.4 per cent annual increase in spending on LTC institutions. The average annual increase in HCC spending ranged from a high of 12.6 per cent in P.E.I. to a low of 1.9 per cent in Manitoba.<\/p>\n

In 2020-21, Canadian provinces spent an average of $300 per capita on HCC (figure 1). Newfoundland and Labrador spent more than double this amount, whereas Quebec spent only $237 per person \u2013 the lowest per capita amount in Canada.<\/p>\n