Health and wealth: empirical findings and political consequences

There is increasing concern that equity in health and health care in Europe may suffer as a result of the expansion of the European Union and the ageing of its populations. This article reviews the findings of the "ECuity III" project: a network of European health economists who have investigated socioeconomic inequalities in health and health care. In order to help inform the policy debate about how to secure health equity in our ageing European societies, the project pays particular attention to the key decisions about income, health and health care in age groups around the retirement age, as these prove to be crucial for a better understanding of cross-country differences in inequalities.