Exploring health inequalities among the elderly in Italy during the economic crisis – evidence from SILC Survey

The increasing of retirement age in order to maintain an active population able to compensate for the growth in the number of pensioners is a central issue in the European debate. Central to the discussion surrounding the extension of the active lifespan is the state of health of the elderly : on one hand the health condition of the population is clearly crucial to all hypotheses linked to the extension of active life, on the other hand, European governments are specifically interested in forecasting the health care needs and services which will be required by the elderly. Since 2008 a growing number of researches have presented evidence on the negative effect of the economic crisis on the average population health, and some studies show an increase of health inequalities during crises, in different countries. The aim of this study is to estimate the health transition probabilities for Italian elderly and to calculate differences in health expectancy linked to socio-relational factors during the economic crisis. The analysis is carried out using the Italian longitudinal modules of the European survey on income and living condition: it silc 2004-2007 and 2008-2011; the study is limited to the population aged 55 and over at the baseline, living in private households. Transition probabilities between chronic illness, disability and death are estimated basing on incidences, using a Markov model. Health is measured through the Minimum European Health Module, consisting of 3 global questions concerning 3 health domains: self-perceived health, chronic conditions and long-term activity limitation.