Inequality is a Preventable Cause of Death
TASC launches major new report on ‘Eliminating Health Inequalities - A Matter of Life and Death‘(pdf)
Today TASC is launching its first report on health inequality, which was written by health policy analyist and journalist Sara Burke and Head of Policy at TASC Sinéad Pentony.
It’s an important piece for work for anyone who has followed the ineffectiveness of the Irish health system, and particularly for those who have long argued that Ireland remains a country that has unnecessarily high levels of preventable deaths, particular amoung those on lower incomes.
For example, the report highlights that “men living in the poorest areas live on average 4.5 years less than men living in the most affluent areas, while the differential for women is 2.7 years”. In addition, “unskilled men will, on average, die six years earlier than their professional counterparts”.
However, unpublished research by the Institute of Public Health indicates that, “if socio-economic mortality differentials in Ireland were eliminated, Irish people would, over an extended period of time, gain over 13.5 million extra years of life”.
By increasing taxation to Western European levels, the report argues, funds could be used to increase spending on health and education thereby reducing income inequality and improving health outcomes overall.
The report also calls for the increased and targeted investment in early childhood care and education, which would help break the links between early disadvantage and poor outcomes in adulthood.
In order to provide for this, the report calls for the “implementation of a universal social health insurance model funded by increased employer and employee social insurance contributions combined with general taxation to provide social health insurance benefits to all Irish residents”. It also recommends that “the merits of a single social health insurance fund should be assessed alongside the option of competing public and private insurers.
The report Eliminating Health Inequalities - A Matter of Life and Death (PDF) also received input from the TASC Health Inequalities Advisory Group, chaired by Prof Joe Barry of TCD.
Here’s a summary of the report. Here’s the digital version and here’s the press release….
Independent think-tank TASC this afternoon launched a major new report on health inequalities in Ireland. Entitled ‘Eliminating Health Inequalities - A Matter of Life and Death’, the report outlines the interrelationship between economic inequality and inequality of health outcomes. The report was authored by TASC Head of Policy Sinéad Pentony and Sara Burke, health policy analyst and journalist, with input from the TASC Health Inequalities Advisory Group, chaired by Prof Joe Barry, Chair of Population Health Medicine, Department of Public Health and Primary Care, TCD.
Speaking at the launch, TASC Director Dr Nat O’Connor said:
“As an independent think-tank dedicated to addressing Ireland’s high levels of economic inequality, TASC is acutely aware that inequality in income and education leads to worse health outcomes. However, there is now a growing body of evidence suggesting that a more equal society would see improved outcomes for everyone, even the wealthiest in society. In this report, TASC proposes a range of measures which, if implemented, would set us on the path to eliminating health inequalities and saving lives”.
Prof Joe Barry, Chair of the TASC Health Inequalities Advisory Group, said:
“This report illustrates how responses to the current economic crisis are disproportionately impacting on low-income and vulnerable groups, to the detriment of their health in both the short and the long term. The publication of this report is timely, as it coincides with the launch of the Government’s consultation on a new public health policy. The TASC report identifies a wide-ranging set of measures which, if implemented, would put public policy on the path to eliminating health inequalities. The opportunity now exists for these measures to form part of the Government’s new public health policy. These policy choices need advocates from across the spectrum of stakeholders, and they must be prioritised and resourced”.
Commenting on the findings in the report, co-author Sara Burke said:
“Drawing on a number of sources, this report shows that there is a social gradient across health inequalities, with health improving and life expectancy increasing in line with social class, income and educational attainment: there is a six year gap between the life expectancy of professional workers and their unskilled counterparts, while the gap for women is 4.8 years. We also note that there is a direct relationship between social spending and health status, and that Ireland’s relatively low social spending may help explain our poor outcomes for particular groups in Irish society - for example, those living in deprived areas, those suffering socio-economic disadvantage, and specific groups such as children and Travellers. What this report shows is that inequality is a preventable cause of ill health and death.”
Outlining TASC’s policy proposals, TASC Head of Policy and co-author Sinéad Pentony said:
“Our report identifies the need for a more equal distribution of income and wealth if health inequalities are to be eliminated. TASC has identified a series of re-distributive measures through changes to the tax system and investment in education and health services that will help achieve this goal. The report also identifies the need to put health at the heart of policymaking and recommends that an Independent Review of Health Inequalities be established. TASC makes recommendations on the creation of a single-tier health service that is funded on the basis of solidarity and access to which, is based on medical need, rather than ability to pay. Finally, none of these changes can happen without political leadership and institutional reform and the report makes a number of recommendations aimed at strengthening the political and inter-departmental focus on health inequalities”.
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