Between therapy and wish fulfillment: anti-aging medicine and the scope of public healthcare

Abstract

Definition of the problem The increasing demand for anti-aging medicine raises the question which medical interventions should be covered within a public healthcare system. Argument The German system is centered on the concept of disease. In view of anti-aging, this could mean that we have to (1) clarify the concept of disease, (2) check whether aging can be subsumed under this concept, and (3) decide to which extent, if any, anti-aging medicine should be covered. Conclusion The scope of public healthcare cannot be determined on the basis of the concept of disease alone. A reflection on the occurring problems provides reference points for a viable decision-making process involving a fair deliberation on how we want to grow old.