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Access and Cost of Education and Health Services

Preparing Regions for Demographic Change

image of Access and Cost of Education and Health Services

Current population trends and the COVID-19 pandemic reinforce the need for efficient public service provision while guaranteeing good access to all. Population decline and ageing in rural regions affect the provision of services through lower economies of scale and scope, professional shortages and longer distances. Reliable estimates of the costs and access arising from demographic and geographical differences can help adapt the provision of services to different territorial realities. This report provides internationally comparable fine-grained present and future estimates of the cost and physical access to education (primary and secondary) and health services (cardiology, maternity and obstetrics) in European countries. The report finds that demographic change in the next decades will likely further strain the trade-off between costs and access, especially in remote rural areas. Adapting to changes in demand following lower fertility rates and ageing implies that services will need to become more widely available, while others will have to concentrate more. This report aims to support evidence-based policy decisions to ensure service provision allows for both cost efficiency and a sufficient level of access in all territories.

English

A method to estimate health care services access and costs

This chapter estimates health service location demand and costs using a method based on data for England. After reviewing the determinants of health care demand, it describes the method to estimate health services potential demand and access. The chapter then highlights the difficulties of predicting health care costs and examines preliminary evidence on health care costs for England. Finally, the chapter presents the method estimating differences in cardiology and maternity and obstetrics (M&O) services costs and access across geographical areas.

English

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