A Framework for Estimating Health Spending in Response to COVID-19

Author/Editor:

Paolo Dudine ; Klaus-Peter Hellwig ; Samir Jahan

Publication Date:

July 24, 2020

Electronic Access:

Free Download. Use the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file

Link to data for this title

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary:

We estimate the additional health spending necessary to treat COVID-19 patients. We expand a Susceptible Infected Recovered model to project the number of people requiring hospitalization, use information about healthcare costs by country, and make assumptions about capacity constraints in the health sector. Without social distancing and lockdowns, countries would need to expand health systems ten-fold, on average, to assist all COVID-19 patients in need of hospitalization. Under capacity constraints, effective social distancing and quarantine reduce the additional health spending from a range of $0.6–1 trillion globally to $130–231 billion, and the fatality rate from 1.2 to 0.2 percent, on average.

Series:

Working Paper No. 2020/145

Subject:

Frequency:

regular

English

Publication Date:

July 24, 2020

ISBN/ISSN:

9781513550220/1018-5941

Stock No:

WPIEA2020145

Pages:

43

Please address any questions about this title to publications@imf.org