(ANSA)- Rome, November 17 - Italy's elderly spend a
disproportionate amount of overall taxpayer spending on
out-of-pocket health care, CENSIS think tank said Tuesday.
The elderly spend almost 13 billion euros a year
out-of-pocket, making up 40% of Italians' overall spending on
care that is not covered by the national health service, even
though the elderly make up just over 20% of the population.
Separately, European public health experts told a Lower
House conference that infectious diseases cost Italian taxpayers
97 million euros a year, but effective vaccination could cut
those expenses by 50 million euros.
Italy allocates such 0.3% of its public health budget to
vaccinations, against a European average of 3%, the experts
said.
Also on Tuesday, a health ministry study showed hospital
stays dropped significantly in the past 10 years, from 7.7
million in 2005 to 6.5 million in 2014.
The same study showed a drop in pediatric hospital stays
for tonsil removal in 2010-2014, with 10,000 fewer kids being
hospitalized for that operation.
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