Canadians’ medical debt largely driven by dental bills, prescription medications

Healthcare related expenses pushed almost 18% of Canadians into debt. The poll, covering Canada, the U.S. and Australia, found Canadians faced the second highest amount of healthcare-related debt after the U.S. In total, 17.5% of Canadians are in debt because of healthcare costs. Dental checkups and prescription medications were the most likely sources of healthcare debt. Younger generations were most likely to be into debt and 20% of Canadian women went into debt for medical bills, compared to 15% of men. Canadians averaged $8,100 in healthcare debt.