Population ageing, health expenditure and treatment:: An ARD perspective

There is an increasing body of evidence which shows that the expected increase in health expenditure due to ageing populations may not be as large as the general impression. This paper examines the relationship between ageing and health expenditure by first summarizing some of the literature. The paper goes on to examine the results of the OECD's Ageing-Related Diseases study in the light of a specific issue discussed in the literature, the less aggressive treatment of the elderly. it then goes beyond the cited studies to examine outcome trends. This study provides a unique opportunity to examine ageing within a multi-country study. The paper shows that the elderly are less likely to receive aggressive treatment and are more likely to have worse health outcomes.