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Invest as you go: how public health investment keeps pension systems healthy

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  • Paolo Melindi-Ghidi
  • Willem Sas

Abstract

Better health not only boosts longevity in itself, it also postpones the initial onset of disability and chronic infirmity to a later age. In this paper we examine the potential effects of such 'compression of morbidity' on pensions, and introduce a health-dependent dimension to the standard pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension scheme. Studying the long-term implications of such a system in a simple overlapping generations framework, we find that an increase in public health investment can augment capital accumulation in the long run. Because of this, the combination of health investment with a partially health-dependent PAYG scheme may in fact outperform a purely PAYG system in terms of lifetime welfare.

Suggested Citation

  • Paolo Melindi-Ghidi & Willem Sas, 2015. "Invest as you go: how public health investment keeps pension systems healthy," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 502095, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
    • Handle: RePEc:ete:ceswps:502095
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    1. Luca Marchiori & Olivier Pierrard, 2023. "Health subsidies, prevention and welfare," Journal of Public Economic Theory, Association for Public Economic Theory, vol. 25(6), pages 1304-1336, December.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • I15 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health and Economic Development
    • J26 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demand and Supply of Labor - - - Retirement; Retirement Policies
    • O41 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - One, Two, and Multisector Growth Models

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