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Lebenserwartung, medizinischer Fortschritt und Gesundheitsausgaben: Theorie und Empirie

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  • Stefan Felder

Abstract

Over the past 50 years Germans have spent a rising share of their income on health and enjoyed substantially longer lives as a result. The rising health share can be explained by a standard economic model: As people get richer they purchase additional years of life and less additional consumption, provided that satiation occurs more rapidly in non‐health consumption. The gains in life years increasingly occur late in the lifespan. As a result the incremental cost‐benefit ratio of health care deteriorates: marginal costs increase as the marginal productivity of medical inputs decreases in old age while marginal benefits decrease due to a rising hazard rate. On average, medical progress is worth it. Future income growth will further increase the health share, while population ageing will only marginally affect health care expenditures.

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  • Stefan Felder, 2006. "Lebenserwartung, medizinischer Fortschritt und Gesundheitsausgaben: Theorie und Empirie," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(s1), pages 49-73, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:perwir:v:7:y:2006:i:s1:p:49-73
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1465-6493.2006.00216.x
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    2. Hartmut Kliemt, 2006. "Ethische Konflikte im Gesundheitswesen," Perspektiven der Wirtschaftspolitik, Verein für Socialpolitik, vol. 7(s1), pages 27-48, May.
    3. Jabłonowski, Janusz & Müller, Christoph & Raffelhüschen, Bernd, 2010. "A fiscal outlook for Poland using generational accounts," FZG Discussion Papers 47, University of Freiburg, Research Center for Generational Contracts (FZG).
    4. Adam Hans, 2007. "Einkommenswachstum, steigende Gesundheitsausgaben und Finanzierung / Income Increase, Health Spending Growth and Financing," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 227(5-6), pages 565-577, October.
    5. Stefan Felder & Andreas Werblow, 2009. "The Marginal Cost of Saving a Life in Health Care: Age, Gender and Regional Differences in Switzerland," Swiss Journal of Economics and Statistics (SJES), Swiss Society of Economics and Statistics (SSES), vol. 145(II), pages 137-153, June.
    6. Ried, Walter, 2006. "Gesundheitsausgaben für Überlebende und Verstorbene im demographischen Wandel: der Einfluss des medizinischen Fortschritts," Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Diskussionspapiere 10/2006, University of Greifswald, Faculty of Law and Economics.
    7. Janusz Jablonowski & Christoph Mueller & Bernd Raffelhüschen, 2011. "A fiscal outlook for Poland using Generational Accounts," NBP Working Papers 85, Narodowy Bank Polski.
    8. Katja Hanewald, 2008. "Beyond the business cycle - factors driving aggregate mortality rates," SFB 649 Discussion Papers SFB649DP2008-031, Sonderforschungsbereich 649, Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany.

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