@article{Athanasakis2022-dw,
title = {'Inclusive' health systems increase healthy life expectancy},
author = {Kostas Athanasakis},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-05-01},
journal = {Rural Remote Health},
volume = {22},
number = {2},
pages = {7014},
address = {Australia},
abstract = {INTRODUCTION: This article attempts to investigate whether
inclusive health systems increase societal welfare, with the
latter expressed through estimates of healthy life expectancy
(HLE). METHODS: The analysis uses publicly available data by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and
explores the relationship of HLE at the age of 65 years (HLE_65)
with four variables that are representative of institutional
inclusivity or extractiveness of health systems. RESULTS: Results
indicate that HLE_65 is positively associated with healthcare
system institutional inclusivity as expressed in terms of the
share of public healthcare expenditure and the spending on
preventive care. HLE_65 is inversely associated with the
strength of extracting characteristics of the system, such as the
market power of physicians and the share of specialists in the
total number of physicians. CONCLUSION: In this light, the
development of health policies that aim to strengthen inclusive
institutions, such as the focus on prevention, financial
protection and primary care, could have a significant positive
impact in collective welfare and social cohesion - especially for
populations in rural, remote and less developed parts of the
world.},
keywords = {extractiveness; health system performance; healthy life expectancy; inclusivity; collective welfare},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
INTRODUCTION: This article attempts to investigate whether
inclusive health systems increase societal welfare, with the
latter expressed through estimates of healthy life expectancy
(HLE). METHODS: The analysis uses publicly available data by the
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and
explores the relationship of HLE at the age of 65 years (HLE_65)
with four variables that are representative of institutional
inclusivity or extractiveness of health systems. RESULTS: Results
indicate that HLE_65 is positively associated with healthcare
system institutional inclusivity as expressed in terms of the
share of public healthcare expenditure and the spending on
preventive care. HLE_65 is inversely associated with the
strength of extracting characteristics of the system, such as the
market power of physicians and the share of specialists in the
total number of physicians. CONCLUSION: In this light, the
development of health policies that aim to strengthen inclusive
institutions, such as the focus on prevention, financial
protection and primary care, could have a significant positive
impact in collective welfare and social cohesion - especially for
populations in rural, remote and less developed parts of the
world.