Proximity to Death and Participation in the Long-term Care Market

Overview

Journal Health Econ

Publisher Wiley

Specialties Health Services
Public Health

Date 2008 Sep 5

PMID 18770873

Citations 12

Authors

France Weaver

Sally C Stearns

Edward C Norton

William Spector

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The extent to which increasing longevity increases per capita demand for long-term care depends on the degree to which utilization is concentrated at the end of life. We estimate the marginal effect of proximity to death, measured by being within 2 years of death, on the probabilities of nursing home and formal home care use, and we determine whether this effect differs by availability of informal care--i.e. marital status and co-residence with an adult child. The analysis uses a sample of elderly aged 70+ from the 1993-2002 Health and Retirement Study. Simultaneous probit models address the joint decisions to use long-term care and co-reside with an adult child. Overall, proximity to death significantly increases the probability of nursing home use by 50.0% and of formal home care use by 12.4%. Availability of informal support significantly reduces the effect of proximity to death. Among married elderly, proximity to death has no effect on institutionalization. In conclusion, proximity to death is one of the main drivers of long-term care use, but changes in sources of informal support, such as an increase in the proportion of married elderly, may lessen its importance in shaping the demand for long-term care.

Citing Articles

The health and long-term care costs in the last year of life in The Netherlands.

van Dijk C, Langereis T, Dik J, Hoekstra T, van den Berg B Eur J Health Econ. 2025; .

PMID: 40009334 DOI: 10.1007/s10198-025-01763-w.

Informal Care Costs According to Age and Proximity to Death to Support Cost-Effectiveness Analyses.

de Groot S, Santi I, Bakx P, Wouterse B, van Baal P Pharmacoeconomics. 2023; 41(9):1137-1149.

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Retrospective Evaluation of Discharge Planning Linked to a Long-Term Care 2.0 Project in a Medical Center.

Huang S, Chen C, Su Y, Chang S Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(16).

PMID: 36011775 PMC: 9408622. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph191610139.

What is the marginal benefit of payment-induced family care? Impact on Medicaid spending and health of care recipients.

Coe N, Guo J, Konetzka R, Van Houtven C Health Econ. 2019; 28(5):678-692.

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Care choices in Europe: To Each According to His or Her Needs?.

Heger D, Korfhage T Inquiry. 2018; 55:46958018780848.

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