What drives health care spending?: Can we know whether population aging is a 'red herring'?

What drives health care spending?: Can we know whether population aging is a 'red herring'?

Collection:
Health Policy and Services Research
Series Title(s):
Center for Retirement Research working paper
Contributor(s):
Aaron, Henry J.
Boston College. Center for Retirement Research.
Publication:
Chestnut Hill, MA : Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, c2009
Language(s):
English
Format:
Text
Subject(s):
Health Expenditures -- statistics & numerical data
Health Expenditures -- trends
Longevity
Mortality
Population Dynamics
Terminal Care -- economics
United States
Genre(s):
Technical Report
Abstract:
Several empirical studies have presented evidence that per-person health care spending does not rise with calendar age but with proximity to death. Hence, it is alleged that increases in longevity will not, by themselves, boost health care spending. Unfortunately, available data provide no basis for assuming that the curve relating average health care spending to age will, or will not, flatten with increases in longevity. For this reason, budget projections based on the assumption that increases in longevity will not boost health care spending may understate projected growth of health care spending.
Copyright:
Reproduced with permission of the copyright holder. Further use of the material is subject to CC BY license. (More information)
Extent:
26 p.
Illustrations:
Illustrations
NLM Unique ID:
101519289 (See catalog record)
Permanent Link:
http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/101519289