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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health
Sec. Health Economics
Volume 12 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1454699
This article is part of the Research Topic Sustainable and Mission-oriented Innovation in Economic Systems and Governance for Equitable Global Health and Wellbeing View all 10 articles

The impact of healthcare system quality and economic factors on the elderly population: a health economics perspective

Provisionally accepted
Iulia Iuga Iulia Iuga 1Raluca Nerisanu Raluca Nerisanu 2*Horia Iuga Horia Iuga 3
  • 1 1 Decembrie 1918 University, Alba Iulia, Romania
  • 2 Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania
  • 3 University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iuliu Hatieganu, Cluj-Napoca, Romania

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Purpose: This study investigates the influence of economic conditions, healthcare system capacity, and health-related variables on the proportion of the elderly population (Population ages 65 and above) in European Union countries. It aims to identify how factors such as GDP, unemployment, inflation, healthcare expenditure, hospital bed availability, and the prevalence of chronic diseases impact the aging demographic.Methods: This study explores the dynamic interactions and temporal relationships between economic stability, healthcare capacity, chronic disease prevalence, and demographic aging patterns. The research employs a mixed-method approach, utilizing System GMM and wavelet coherence analysis on panel data from 27 EU countries between 2000 and 2021.The findings reveal significant positive associations between economic prosperity and healthcare resources with the size of the elderly population. Increased GDP, efficient healthcare spending, and hospital bed availability are positively correlated with a larger elderly demographic. In contrast, high unemployment and inflation are linked to negative outcomes for the elderly population, reducing available resources and access to healthcare. Wavelet coherence analysis further uncovers how fluctuations in the prevalence of chronic diseases influence aging trends across different periods and frequencies.The study highlights the importance of integrated economic and healthcare policies to support the growing elderly population. Ensuring economic stability, enhancing healthcare infrastructure, and effectively managing chronic diseases are essential for improving quality of life and promoting sustainable aging in EU societies.

    Keywords: Healthcare System Capabilities, Macroeconomic effects, economics of the elderly, wavelet coherence analysis, System GMM, European Union Demographics JEL codes: J11, I11, J14

    Received: 25 Jun 2024; Accepted: 26 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Iuga, Nerisanu and Iuga. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Raluca Nerisanu, Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu, Sibiu, Romania

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.