Paper #473

Títol:

The social value of health programs: Is age a relevant factor?

Autors:

Eva Rodríguez i José Luis Pinto

Data:

Juny 2000

Resum:

In cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) it is usually assumed that a QALY is of equal value to everybody, irrespective of the patient's age. However, it is possible that society assigns different social values to a QALY according to who gets it. In this paper we discuss the possibility of weighting health benefits for age in CEA. We also examine the possibility that age-related preferences depend on the size of the health gain. An experiment was performed to test these hypotheses. The results assessing suggest that the patient's age is a relevant factor when assessing health gains.

Paraules clau:

QALY, age weights, social welfare function

Codis JEL:

I18, D61, D63

Àrea de Recerca:

Economia Laboral, Pública, de Desenvolupament i de la Salut

Número sèrie CRES:

14

Publicat a:

Health Economics, 9, (2000), pp. 611-621

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