Case Studies - Health&WealthMOD: a microsimulation model of the economic impacts of diseases on older workers

The Australian Government is seeking to encourage older workers to remain in the labour force longer to overcome future labour shortages and ensure adequate taxation revenue to fund the needs of an ageing population. Longer labour force participation also has benefits to individuals in terms of available income and capacity to save for a better standard of living in retirement. While the Government recognises that not all older workers are able to participate in the labour force, there is little information on what health conditions keep people from working, or what the costs are to the government or the individual. This case study outlines how a new micro simulation model, Health&WealthMOD, is being designed to fill this information gap by estimating the economic impacts of illness. The general approach adopted is outlined, following which two early applications of the model are presented. The model is used to explore the determinants of the duration spent in retirement and to generate projections of retirement due to illness to 2020.health; disability; wealth; retirement period

Modelling the cost of ill health in Health&WealthMOD (Version II): lost labour force participation, income and taxation, and the impact of disease prevention

This paper provides a detailed description of the construction of Health&WealthMOD (Version II). It is Australia’s only microsimulation model of health and illness and their impacts on labour force participation, income, wealth and government revenue and expenditure. In this paper, we describe Health&WealthMOD (Version II) and its architecture, the application of the model, and some of the results it has produced.Health&WealthMOD, cost of ill health, lost labour force participation, income, taxation, disease prevention