Canadian Government spending on home care grew from $1.6 billion in 1994–1995 to $3.4 billion in 2003–2004, an average annual growth of 9.2%, according to a new report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

In comparison, over the same time period, total government health spending increased by an average of 5.7% per year. Public-Sector Expenditures and Utilization of Home Care Services in Canada: Exploring the Data is CIHI’s first comprehensive report on public-sector spending on home care services—a combination of health care and support services provided in the home instead of in an institutional setting. Between 1994–1995 and 2003–2004, government home care spending per person increased on average by 6.1% per year after adjusting for inflation, while total government health spending per person increased by 2.7% per year.

Home care spending represented 4.0% of total government health spending in 2003–2004.The number of patients using government-subsidized home care increased from 23.9 per 1,000 in 1994–1995 to 26.1 per 1,000 in 2003–2004, representing an average annual increase of 1.0%. Over the study period, spending on home care increased faster than the number of patients did, suggesting that in general, home care users each consumed more resources in 2003 than they did a decade previously.