EUROPEAN PAPERS ON THE NEW WELFARE

Many thousand years ago humans had an average life expectancy at birth of about 20 years. In the last two millennia in many world regions life expectancy has increased by a decennium. In the last century, after the discovery of vaccines and antibiotics, and the drastic decrease of infectious ailments, mortality markedly diminished. In 1900 average life duration in the world was of 41 years; in 1950 of 53 years and in 2010 of 67 years. In the last ten years average life duration in developed countries grew to 80 – in Africa it went from 40 to 67. Read More

Content Summary

Cancer Mortality Swiss Paradox
Roberto Vacca

Aging of Society and New Medical Technology: The Challenge for Health Insurers to Meet the Expectations of Consumers and Governments
Peter Zweifel

Mobilising the Potential of Active Ageing and Silver Economy in European Countries
Asghar Zaidi

Introduction

This paper discusses the policy measures required to promote the employment and social activities of older population, and to tap the potential of the Silver Economy. It provides the latest evidence on the contributions made by older people across the EU countries, as active participants in the workforce, as family carers and volunteers. It also discusses how adaptation of the economy to the ageing society can influence positively the opportunities for greater economic growth. All of these points argue a need to come up with solutions which embrace the needs of the older cohorts. Read More

Abstract
During the past decades, new medical technology has been cost-increasing rather than cost-reducing, unlike technological innovation in industry. New medical technology thus has importantly contributed to the surge in healthcare expenditure (HCE), which falls also on health insurers both social and private. At the same time, medical advances continue to result in increasing life expectancy and improved quality of life (Lichtenberg, 2001), creating pressure on health insurers to include them in their list of benefits. However, contributions in particular to social health insurance have not kept pace with the promised future benefits, causing a financing gap in most Western countries (Kotlikoff and Raffelhüschen, 1999). Read More