How much is private health insurance in Canada? For a 35-year-old, Instasure's model estimates a mid-tier health and dental plan at $92 a month for one person and $221 for a family, as of October 2026. Your age, who you cover and the plan tier move that number most. Below are dated tables, what each province's public plan already pays, and a break-even check against your own spending.
How much is private health insurance in Canada? The quick answer
For a 35-year-old with a mid-tier plan covering drugs, dental, vision and paramedical care, Instasure's model estimates $92 a month for a single person (range $69 to $120), $175 for a couple and $221 for a family, as of October 2026. A basic guaranteed-issue plan costs about 40% less. A comprehensive plan costs about 55% more.
These are estimates for an example profile, not quotes. They're also not an average cost of health insurance in Canada, because every plan sets its own limits and every household claims differently.
Why buy a plan? Under the Canada Health Act, provincial plans must cover medically necessary hospital and physician services. Health Canada explains that each province decides how much it pays for services such as prescription drugs, dental care and eye care.
Private health insurance in Canada fills part of that gap. The Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association reports that health benefits from insurers cover about 27 million Canadians. Without benefits at work, you price an individual plan yourself.
Example monthly premiums by age, plan tier and family size
The first table shows the three plan tiers in Instasure's model for a 35-year-old applicant. The figures come from the same engine as our instant health & dental estimate.
| Who's covered | Basic plan (guaranteed issue) | Mid-tier plan | Comprehensive plan |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | $55.20 | $92.00 | $142.60 |
| Couple | $105.00 | $175.00 | $271.25 |
| Family | $132.60 | $221.00 | $342.55 |
Instasure estimates for an example profile (35-year-old applicant), monthly premiums, as of October 2026. Modelled figures, not quotes and not averages of plans sold.
Here's what each tier includes in our model:
- Basic plan: prescription drugs and basic dental, with lower annual maximums. No medical questions.
- Mid-tier plan: drugs, dental, vision and paramedical care, with moderate annual maximums and optional major dental. A short health questionnaire.
- Comprehensive plan: higher limits and major dental, broader paramedical care including mental health, and travel medical options. A health questionnaire.
So the individual health insurance price for a single 35-year-old runs from $55.20 to $142.60 a month, depending on the tier.
Health and dental insurance cost per month by age
This table holds the plan at mid-tier and changes the applicant's age.
| Applicant age | Single | Couple | Family |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $78 ($59 to $102) | $149 ($111 to $193) | $188 ($141 to $244) |
| 35 | $92 ($69 to $120) | $175 ($131 to $227) | $221 ($166 to $287) |
| 45 | $110 ($83 to $144) | $210 ($157 to $273) | $265 ($199 to $344) |
| 55 | $133 ($100 to $173) | $253 ($190 to $329) | $320 ($240 to $416) |
| 65 | $156 ($117 to $203) | $297 ($223 to $386) | $375 ($282 to $488) |
Instasure estimates for an example profile (mid-tier plan), typical monthly premium with range, as of October 2026. The range reflects differences between insurers and plans.
The single estimate at 65 ($156) is double the one at 25 ($78). For family health insurance cost, moving a couple's plan to family coverage adds $46 a month at age 35 ($175 to $221). In our model, covering children costs less than covering a second adult.
Why your province changes the price
Our model gives the same estimate in every province, because it prices on age, household and plan tier. Real insurers can set different rates for the same plan in different provinces, so a quote can land above or below these figures. The bigger difference is what your public plan already pays, which changes what a private plan adds.
Health insurance Ontario
OHIP+ pays for eligible prescriptions at no cost for people 24 and under who aren't covered by a private plan. It stops at the 25th birthday, or once the person is covered by a private plan. So for children, a family plan's drug benefit replaces coverage they'd otherwise get free; weigh its other benefits instead.
At 65, Ontarians join the Ontario Drug Benefit program automatically. Seniors pay the first $100 of eligible drug costs each program year, then up to $6.11 per prescription. Lower-income seniors can apply to pay less. Compare plans on our health insurance Ontario page.
Health insurance BC
BC's Fair PharmaCare sets a family deductible and an annual family maximum from your family net income two years earlier. Families who don't register face a default deductible of $10,000, so check that your family is registered. See local options on our health insurance BC page.
Health insurance Alberta
Alberta offers its own supplementary plan, Non-Group Coverage, billed by Alberta Blue Cross. The province lists the full premium at $63.50 a month for a single person and $118 for a family, with subsidized rates for lower incomes. Compare what it covers with a private plan on our health insurance Alberta page.
Manitoba and Saskatchewan
Manitoba Pharmacare sets an annual deductible from your adjusted family income two years earlier, with a minimum of $100. Its benefit year runs April 1 to March 31. Saskatchewan's Special Support Program sets a family deductible and co-payment from family income and drug costs.
Check your public deductible before you pay for drug coverage. See health insurance Manitoba and health insurance Saskatchewan.
Health insurance Quebec (information only)
Prescription drug insurance is mandatory in Quebec. If you're under 65 and have access to a private group plan, RAMQ says you must join it. You must also cover your spouse and children if they aren't covered elsewhere.
People without access to a private plan use the public plan. For July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027, its premium ranges from $0 to $789 per person, based on family income. What you pay at the pharmacy for covered drugs is capped at $1,263 a year. Advisor service isn't available in Quebec yet, so our health insurance Quebec page is for information.
Guaranteed-issue vs underwritten pricing
Guaranteed-issue plans ask no medical questions. Underwritten plans ask health questions, and your answers can affect whether you're accepted and what's covered. In our model, the guaranteed-issue basic plan costs 40% less than the mid-tier plan. It also covers less and has lower annual maximums.
If you're leaving a workplace plan, a conversion plan is often the simplest route. Manulife, for example, says its FollowMe plans are issued with no medical questions if you apply and pay the first premium within 90 days of your employee benefits ending. After that, full medical underwriting applies. Manulife also says these plans won't match your group coverage exactly. Other insurers set their own rules, so check your benefits booklet as soon as you know your job is ending. If you take a costly drug, read the limits on pre-existing conditions before you sign.
Dental add-ons and what they cost
Our model doesn't price dental on its own. Basic dental is in every tier. Major dental is optional on the mid-tier plan and included in the comprehensive plan.
So the step from basic ($55.20) to comprehensive ($142.60) for a single 35-year-old buys more than dental insurance. It also adds vision, paramedical care and higher limits.
Before you pay for dental cover, check the federal Canadian Dental Care Plan. It's for residents with adjusted family net income under $90,000 who have no access to dental insurance. You must confirm every year that you still don't. A private plan with dental can end that eligibility.
Our guide to Canadian Dental Care Plan vs private insurance walks through the trade-off. Our CDCP eligibility guide covers each test.
Is a plan cheaper than paying out of pocket?
A plan makes financial sense when what it pays back, plus protection against a large bill, is worth more than the premium. This table shows the covered spending you'd need each year to break even. It assumes the plan pays back 80% of each eligible claim, within its annual maximums. That 80% is an illustration, so check your plan's actual terms.
| Who's covered | Plan tier | Yearly premium | Covered spending to break even |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single | Basic | $662 | $828 |
| Single | Mid-tier | $1,104 | $1,380 |
| Single | Comprehensive | $1,711 | $2,139 |
| Couple | Basic | $1,260 | $1,575 |
| Couple | Mid-tier | $2,100 | $2,625 |
| Couple | Comprehensive | $3,255 | $4,069 |
| Family | Basic | $1,591 | $1,989 |
| Family | Mid-tier | $2,652 | $3,315 |
| Family | Comprehensive | $4,111 | $5,138 |
Yearly premiums are the Instasure estimates for a 35-year-old applicant above, times 12, as of October 2026. Break-even spending is the yearly premium divided by 0.8. Tax effects aren't included.
To use it, add up last year's receipts. Count prescriptions, dental cleanings and fillings, glasses or contacts, and practitioners such as physiotherapists, massage therapists and psychologists.
If your total sits well below the break-even line year after year, the plan is mostly buying protection. That can still be worth it, but price it as insurance, not savings. Your province's drug program may already limit the largest drug bills.
Paying for years of care at home or in a care home calls for a different product: see long term care insurance Canada. For lost income after a serious illness, read critical illness vs disability insurance.
How to keep premiums down
- Buy the tier you'll use. Match the plan to the spending you expect, not the longest list of benefits.
- Use the conversion window. If you're leaving a group plan, decide before the window closes, while no medical questions apply.
- Check a spouse's or partner's plan first. Joining their workplace plan may cost less than an individual policy.
- Register for your province's drug program. Fair PharmaCare, Manitoba Pharmacare and Saskatchewan's Special Support Program all set deductibles from income.
- Claim the tax relief. CRA counts premiums for a private health services plan as eligible medical expenses if 90% or more of the premiums are for eligible medical expenses. For 2025, you could claim expenses above the lesser of 3% of your net income or $2,834.
- Self-employed? Look at the business deduction. If you meet CRA's conditions, you can deduct the premiums from business income on Form T2125. One test: your net self-employment income must be more than 50% of your total income, or your other income must be $10,000 or less. You can't also claim the same premiums as a medical expense. Compare health insurance for self employed Canadians on our plan page. A health plan doesn't replace income, so also look at disability insurance for the self-employed.
- Don't buy dental twice. If you may qualify for the CDCP, check before you add dental to a private plan.
How we built these estimates
- Source. All Instasure figures come from our estimate engine, last reviewed in October 2026. They're modelled estimates for example profiles, not quotes or offers.
- Method. The model starts from a mid-tier single plan and adjusts for age band and for couple or family coverage. Basic and comprehensive tiers are set relative to mid-tier. It doesn't vary by province.
- Range. About 25% below to 30% above the typical figure, to reflect differences between insurers and plans.
Our guide to instant insurance estimates explains how estimates differ from quotes. A licensed advisor confirms real prices before you buy.
Michael's take
As a planner, I split a health and dental plan into two jobs. The first is budgeting for costs you know are coming, like cleanings and glasses. The second is insurance against the bill you can't predict, usually an expensive drug. For the first job, the premium also has to cover the insurer's costs, so I'd compare it honestly with saving the money yourself. For the second job, check what your provincial drug program already limits before you pay for more.
My rule of thumb is to decide with last year's receipts in hand and the break-even table open. And if you're leaving a job with benefits, make the call inside the conversion window, while you can still get coverage without health questions. That deadline is easy to miss and hard to undo.
Next steps
Your own price depends on your age, your household, your province and the plan's limits. Start with an instant health and dental quote, which takes about a minute. Then compare plan types on our health and dental insurance page, or your province page. A licensed advisor in your province can then compare insurers and confirm real prices. Advisor service isn't available in Quebec or the territories yet.
