As western societies age at a rapid pace, any kind of bias against older people is likely to have severe consequences.  The scale of the challenge was emphasized by a recent study from Yale School of Public Health, which estimated that the cost of ageism could reach up to $63 billion, just in terms of health costs in the United States alone.

The work is believed to be the first of its kind to quantify the health costs associated with ageism.  Indeed, they found that ageism was responsible for some 17 million cases of the eight most expensive health conditions in just a single year.

“Ageism is one of the least visible prejudices,” the authors explain. “Our study helps to increase the visibility of ageism by looking at its consequences.”

High cost

This adds up to huge amounts, with the researchers claiming that ageism costs around $63 billion per year, or 1/7 of all health related expenditure in America on those over 60.  The paper builds upon previous work that highlights the adverse affects ageism can have on the health of people.

The ageism examined for this paper includes negative stereotypes about older people in general, and negative views of themselves as older people.  The data was arrived at after utilizing commonly used modeling techniques from the health economics arena, with data input into the models from national surveys, demographic data and a comprehensive literature review of research into the impact of ageism on health.  The team hoped that the model would provide a clear insight into the impact of ageism on health over and above the impact of ageing on health in general.

“Our findings make a strong case for efforts aimed at reducing the epidemic of ageism, which produces not only a financial cost for society, but also a human cost for the well-being of older persons,” the researchers conclude.