[News Today] Wide healthspan gap among elderly

[LEAD]
The gap in healthspan between income groups in South Korea has widened to more than eight years. As discussions emerge about raising the official age for seniors from 65 to 70, some are calling for the widening health gap across income groups to be taken into account.

[REPORT]
A man in his 60s at a food bank...

He can't work due to health issues and barely makes ends meet on a monthly basic pension of 300,000 won or around 212 dollars.

Man in his 60s /
I'm taking medications for my cerebral infarction, diabetes and hyperlipidemia.
It's a problem for me.

When he was young, he mostly worked as a day laborer and could not afford to take care of his health.

Man in his 60s /
The hard physical labor took a toll on my health. I can't cook. I just eat whatever's around. That's why I got all kinds of ailments early.

Koreans' average healthspan, or the number of years lived without disease or disability, is 70.9 years.

For the lowest 20% of earners, it's just 65.6 on average.

The difference with the highest 20% is more than eight years.

Working is not easy for elderly people from the low-income bracket because of health problems.

Woman aged 69 /
I used to work, but I can't now because my knees and head ache a lot.

There are concerns that if the minimum age for senior citizen status is raised from 65 to 70, low-income elderly people may not receive welfare benefits.

Lee Tae-suk / Korea Development Institute
The age threshold for the elderly should be adjusted based on a credible analysis of their health status and improvement in their working conditions rather than on public opinion.

Experts point out that the official age threshold for seniors should only be raised by taking into consideration support for the vulnerable groups.