The Effect of the Great Recession on Italian Life Expectancy

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Economics
• Demography

Background:

• The 2008 Great Recession significantly impacted public debt management in Italy.
• Post-crisis healthcare cost containment measures were implemented in Italy.
• Italy serves as a relevant case study for assessing economic crisis impacts on health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the causal effect of the 2008 economic crisis on life expectancy at birth in Italy.
• To assess the impact of healthcare cost containment programs implemented after the crisis.

Main Methods:

• Utilized the Artificial Control method.
• Employed data from the Human Mortality Database.
• Analyzed life expectancy trends from the crisis onset until 2019.

Main Results:

• Identified a significant deceleration in the progression of Italian life expectancy.
• Estimated a loss of almost one year of life expectancy by 2019 compared to pre-crisis projections.
• The economic crisis and subsequent policies demonstrably affected population health indicators.

Conclusions:

• The 2008 economic crisis had a measurable negative impact on Italian life expectancy.
• Healthcare cost containment measures following the crisis may have exacerbated these effects.
• Long-term health consequences of economic downturns warrant continued monitoring.