Estimating social inequalities in Healthy Life Expectancy: Challenges and opportunities Brussels, February 10 th 2012 Policy context and aim of the seminar Rudi Van Dam FPS Social Security

What are we talking about? What is the policy context Why this seminar?

What are we talking about?

A brief description an indicator of the number of years people can expect to live in good health at different ages, AND the differences in this expectation between different socio-economic status groups

Some results HLY by SES at 25, male, 2004, BE (Van Oyen et.al.2011) Without limitations With limitations Tertiary educ.46,338,94 Higher second.41,5411,08 Lower second.39,7111,69 Primary educ.36,6512,83 Without dipl.27,7520,04

Some results (cont.) HLY by SES at 25, females, 2004, BE (Van Oyen et. al. 2011) Without limitations With limitations Tertiary educ.47,1013,51 Higher secund.41,2717,66 Lower secund.42,0116,39 Primary educ.36,2720,09 Without dipl.28,9225,17

Policy relevance Health and long-term care policy Social inclusion policy Pension policy Labour Market situation of older workers (cf. EMCO indicator on ‘Duration of working life’: based on life expectancy and LFS labour force status)

What is the policy context?

Together For Health: European Health Strategy Principles –HLY as economic, productive factor. Also linked to labour market participation (White Paper) –Linked to the values of equity and solidarity (commission staff working doc. accompanying white paper) Objectives –Healthy ageing as key strategic objective

SOLIDARITY IN HEALTH: REDUCING HEALTH INEQUALITIES IN THE EU (Commission Communication 2009) ‘The healthy life years indicator is the current measure to monitor progress on the Lisbon agenda in relation to the health dimension. Consideration could be given to whether a sound monitoring of health inequalities indicators would be a useful tool to monitorits social dimension.’

Europe 2020 flagship initiative: European Innovation Partnership on active and healthy ageing Objective: ‘to add, by 2020, two healthy life years to the average healthy life span of European citizens’

Social OMC June 2011 EPSCO Council endorsed SPC opinion on a reinvigorated social OMC Re-affirmed objectives in three strands (social inclusion, pensions, health and long term care) Health objective (1):access for all to adequate health and long-term care and that the need for care does not lead to poverty and financial dependency; and that inequities in access to care and in health outcomes are addressed Further work on indicators, incl. HLY by SES

European Year of active ageing (2012) Active ageing is defined by the World Health Organization as the process of optimizing opportunities for health, participation and security in order to enhance quality of life as people age. One of the objectives: ‘tackling ill health in older ages’. ‘While life expectancy in Europe is increasing, the trends for the number of years people live in good health (healthy life years) are more divergent, with the situation in some countries in the EU15 getting worse (Comm. Staff work. Doc)

National Level: Federal government agreement Improve acces to health care for everyone (chapter on health care policy) Attention for inequalities in health care (Chapter on social integration)

Why this seminar?

In general Key social policy indicator, but yet underexploited Momentum to enhance development and visibility

Concrete Discus research project to construct indicator of good quality on regular basis Inform (potential) users of state of play concerning indicator

Have an interesting seminar !