Can the costs of caring for an ageing population be controlled?

25 January 2022 12:00 – 13:00 CET

25 January 2022, 12:00-13:00 CET

Concerns about unsustainable health spending dominate the discussion about population ageing. However, research has shown that population ageing is not a major driver of growth in health expenditure.

Nevertheless, policy choices about how health services are delivered, the prices paid for services, medicines and technologies, and volumes of care will ultimately determine how ageing societies affect health spending patterns.

So, what are the implications of these findings? How can the health and long-term care costs associated with population ageing be contained? Join us in to find out!

 

Speakers:

Liisa-Maria Voipio-Pulkki, Ministry of Social Affairs and Health, Finland

Bridget Johnston, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Gemma Williams, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London UK

Jon Cylus, European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, London, UK

 

Moderators:

Sarah Louise Barber (WHO Centre for Health Development) and Erica Richardson (European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies)

 

This is one of 3 webinars from the ‘Economics of Ageing Spotlight Series’, which cover covering the  revenue to pay for care, expenditure on health and social care, and the politics of population ageing.

We investigate  key policy questions associated with population ageing, bringing together evidence from research and country experiences. We review what is known about the health and long-term care costs of older people and consider many of the economic and societal benefits of healthy ageing.

We also explore policy options that contribute to the sustainability of care systems in the context of changing demographics, minimize avoidable health and long-term care costs, and that support older people so that they can continue to contribute meaningfully to society.

 

The Observatory was invited to talk about this series in WHO Europe’s podcast on 'The Economics of Ageing' - you can listen here.

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