Empirical evidence suggests that the aging population is not a major cause of increased costs. According to the Canadian Institute of Health Information (http://bit.ly/health-care-costs):
“Analyses of the drivers of increases in public sector health expenditures over the last decade showed that the contribution of aging has been relatively modest. To date, system-level cost drivers such as inflation and increased utilization have played bigger roles in health spending increases.”
– Health Care Cost Drivers: the facts, CIHI, Nov 2011