Welfens, P.J.J.: Gesundheitsförderung und Klimapolitik: Neue Krankenversicherungs-Perspektiven zu Marktdynamik und Klimafortschritt

Welfens, P.J.J.: Gesundheitsförderung und Klimapolitik: Neue Krankenversicherungs-Perspektiven zu Marktdynamik und Klimafortschritt

JEL classification: I1, I13, Q01, Q50, Q52, Q55

Key words: Klimafortschritt, Gesundheitsförderung, Krankenversicherung, SDG, Innovation

Summary:

The increased pressure on politics and business in many countries of the world to develop accelerated measures for global CO2 reduction as a result of the Paris Climate Agreement and the Fridays for Future initiatives directs the focus to important fields of action capable of development in the context of climate-friendly lifestyles; for example, in the area of health insurance. A corresponding focus also arises against the backdrop of Agenda 2030 or SDGs 3 and 13. Because health promotion and individual CO2 reduction activities are in part complementary, and because people place a high value on long-term health aspects, it is possible to realize significant climate progress contributions through targeted health insurance initiatives with a view to individual members and with a focus on Healthy Lifestyles – as a health promotion approach at companies; many large companies have joined forces with leading health insurance companies to adopt Healthy Lifestyles approaches. Climate-oriented new, sensibly focused health promotion programs result, among other things, in weight reduction for the representative health insurance member – which also means CO2 reduction per capita in the context of reduced intake of nutritional quantities –, in more climate-friendly mobility behavior, and in increased climate-relevant leisure-related knowledge formation in networks: The achievable CO2 reduction through more climate-friendly lifestyles and dynamic competitive processes in the health insurance market can be determined through scenarios with a view to a meaningful mix of measures. Provided that WHO and the World Bank as well as the EBRD take up the proposed innovative approaches as multipliers, there will be a globally relevant CO2 reduction effect in the long run.

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