Which Health System in an Aging World ?

Economic growth is usually linked with an increase in the share of GDP each country allocates to healthcare. Therefore, improving efficiency of such expenditures is a key challenge, and will remain one for years to come. Life expectancy continues to rise at all ages, mainly as a result of reduced mortality at older ages. In addition, the prevalence of chronic diseases continues to grow. Lastly, new medical technologies and drugs are available, granted some of these innovations are very expensive. How can health systems be organised to address such concerns? How should therapeutic innovation be regulated to improve efficiency in healthcare? Will efficiency gains be sufficient to guarantee universal access to healthcare? How can healthcare and assistance schemes, formal or informal, work together to more effectively help individuals faced with old age dependency?