Economics of healthy and active ageing
The WHO Centre for Health Development, EURO Observatory for Health Systems and Policies and the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office issued six new reports studying the impact of population ageing on health expenditure trends in six countries (Vietnam, Mongolia, New Zealand, Australia, Republic of Korea, and Japan). We find that population ageing results in moderate increase in health care expenditures over time, but ageing is the not the main driver of health spending.
However, per person health spending for older age groups differ based on health status, whereas populations with older persons that have relatively high levels of disability may face higher health expenditures. Our simulations find that populations with lower levels of disability among older adults experience slower growth in health spending. This suggests that policies to promote good health as populations age are beneficial in reducing growth in health spending.
The reports can be accessed here