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Long-Term Care in Italy

In: Long-Term Care around the World

Author

Listed:
  • Agar Brugiavini
  • Ludovico Carrino
  • Giacomo Pasini

Abstract

The provision of long-term care (LTC) for senior citizens in Italy is at the center of the recent policy debate. Italy has witnessed a spectacular increase in the share of people aged 65 and over and in particular of people aged 80 and over, which could translate in large increases in the number of people in need of care. We show that individuals who are in need of LTC have lower economic resources than the average, so that many frail older people have little financial means to pay out-of-pocket for formal care. In fact, publicly provided care is highly fragmented, with stark differences emerging in terms of coverage and generosity across Italian regions. Hence, the supply of LTC is relying heavily on the informal support of members of the family, especially women, at the same time formal care is characterised by a significant underground economy of unskilled carers.
(This abstract was borrowed from another version of this item.)

Suggested Citation

  • Agar Brugiavini & Ludovico Carrino & Giacomo Pasini, 2023. "Long-Term Care in Italy," NBER Chapters, in: Long-Term Care around the World, pages 177-211, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberch:14914
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    File URL: http://www.nber.org/chapters/c14914.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Ludovico Carrino & Cristina Elisa Orso & Giacomo Pasini, 2018. "Demand of long‐term care and benefit eligibility across European countries," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(8), pages 1175-1188, August.
    2. Ginevra Floridi & Ludovico Carrino & Karen Glaser & Candace Kemp, 2021. "Socioeconomic Inequalities in Home-Care Use Across Regional Long-term Care Systems in Europe [Demography of informal caregiving]," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 76(1), pages 121-132.
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    2. Matteucci, Nicola & Picchio, Matteo & Santolini, Raffaella & Tchounkeu, Rostand Arland Yebetchou, 2026. "Telecare and elderly mortality: Evidence from Italian municipalities," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    3. Ulrike Famira-Mühlberger & Thomas Horvath & Martin Spielauer & Philipp Warum & Thomas Leoni, 2025. "Die Auswirkungen des demografischen Wandels auf die öffentlichen Pflegekosten. Neue Evidenz aus einer dynamischen Mikrosimulation," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 98(12), pages 681-691, December.
    4. Wifo, 2025. "WIFO-Monatsberichte, Heft 12/2025," WIFO Monatsberichte (monthly reports), WIFO, vol. 98(12), December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • I13 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Insurance, Public and Private

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