Health care expenditures on the elderly tend to grow about 4 percent per year more rapidly than the gross domestic product (GDP). This could plunge the nation into a severe economic and social crisis within two decades. This paper describes recent growth in age/sex-specific health care utilization by the elderly and discusses the important role of technology in that growth. It also explores the potential for the elderly to pay for additional care through increases in work and savings. Efforts to "save Medicare" will prove to be "too little, too late" unless they are embedded in broader policy initiatives that slow the rate of growth of health care spending and/or increase the income of the elderly.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Physicians' views of the relative importance of thirty medical innovations.

In response to a mail survey, 225 leading general internists provided their opinions of the relative importance to patients of thirty medical innovations. They also provided information about themselves and their practices. Their responses yielded a mean score and a variability score for each innovation. Mean scores were significantly higher for innovations in procedures than in medications and for innovations to treat cardiovascular disease than for those to treat other diseases. The rankings were similar across subgroups of respondents, but the evaluations of a few innovations were significantly related to physicians' age. The greatest variability in response was usually related to the physician's patient mix.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Why health economics?

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Economics↗