POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES

Zeliha Köse

doi:10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545

POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES

Abstract

Population ageing has become a defining demographic trend in many countries, raising important concerns about the sustainability and accessibility of healthcare systems. While existing research has largely focused on the fiscal implications of ageing, relatively less attention has been given to healthcare access inequalities, particularly among older populations. This study aims to examine potential policy gaps in ageing societies by analysing the relationship between demographic ageing, healthcare workforce capacity and unmet healthcare needs. The analysis is based on secondary data obtained from the OECD, the World Bank and Eurostat. Due to data availability constraints, particularly for unmet healthcare needs (ANMEX) indicators, the dataset was restricted to the period starting from 2008 and observations with missing values were excluded to ensure consistency. The final dataset consists of country-year observations structured in a long format. The study employs descriptive statistics, correlation analysis and panel data regression analysis. Model selection was guided by the Hausman specification test and a random-effects model was estimated to examine the relationship between population ageing, physician density and unmet healthcare needs. The findings reveal that while population ageing does not have a statistically significant direct effect on unmet healthcare needs, physician density was negatively associated with unmet healthcare needs. These findings suggest that healthcare system capacity may play an important role in shaping healthcare access outcomes, although the observed relationship should be interpreted cautiously. The results indicate that ageing does not automatically lead to increased access problems, but insufficient system capacity may create barriers in healthcare delivery. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening healthcare workforce planning and resource allocation in order to ensure equitable access in ageing societies.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

This study is based exclusively on publicly available secondary data obtained from the OECD, World Bank, and Eurostat databases. No human participants, personal data, or identifiable information were involved. Therefore, according to institutional and national research ethics guidelines, ethical approval was not required.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Health Policy, Health Management

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Zeliha Köse ^*
0009-0004-4979-5681
Türkiye

Publication Date

June 24, 2026

Submission Date

April 19, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 11 Number: 2

DOI

https://doi.org/10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA44CT38NF

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Köse, Z. (2026). POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES. International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, 11(2), 149-159. https://doi.org/10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545

AMA

1.Köse Z. POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES. IJHSRP. 2026;11(2):149-159. doi:10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545

Chicago

Köse, Zeliha. 2026. “POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES”. International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 11 (2): 149-59. https://doi.org/10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545.

EndNote

Köse Z (June 1, 2026) POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES. International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 11 2 149–159.

IEEE

[1]Z. Köse, “POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES”, IJHSRP, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 149–159, June 2026, doi: 10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545.

ISNAD

Köse, Zeliha. “POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES”. International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy 11/2 (June 1, 2026): 149-159. https://doi.org/10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545.

JAMA

1.Köse Z. POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES. IJHSRP. 2026;11:149–159.

MLA

Köse, Zeliha. “POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES”. International Journal of Health Services Research and Policy, vol. 11, no. 2, June 2026, pp. 149-5, doi:10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545.

Vancouver

1.Zeliha Köse. POLICY GAPS IN AGEING SOCIETIES: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF HEALTHCARE ACCESS AMONG OLDER ADULTS IN OECD COUNTRIES. IJHSRP. 2026 Jun. 1;11(2):149-5. doi:10.33457/ijhsrp.1933545