The observation that average health care expenditure rises with age generally leads experts and laymen alike to conclude that population ageing is the main driver of health care costs. In recently published studies we challenged this view (Zweifel et al., 1999; Felder et al., 2000). Analysing health...

Buchner and Wasem (2006) claimed that the health care expenditure (HCE) of the old grows faster than that of the young, resulting in a steepening of the age profile of HCE over time. This paper tests the steepening claim for Swiss health insurance, covering the time period 1997–2006 and the 26...