PUBLIC HEALTH, LIFESTYLES, AND THE ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY OF HEALTHCARE SYSTEMS

Mattia Altini, General Director USL Modena (Local Health Authority); Manuela Borella, Vice President Specialized Nutrition Danone Italy and Greece; Maurizio Lupi, President of the political group Noi Moderati; Francesco Moscone, Professor of Public Finance, Università di Venezia; Andrea Giuseppe Tiberti, National President of the Società nazionale di mutuo soccorso Cesare Pozzo – Ets. Moderated by Giorgio Vittadini, President of Fondazione per la Sussidiarietà

This panel addresses the increasingly close relationship between individual lifestyles, public health, and the sustainability of national and regional healthcare systems. An unbalanced diet, sedentary behavior, excessive alcohol consumption, and smoking not only undermine individual well-being but also cause a growing economic burden on the State. Estimates suggest that even a minimal reduction in harmful behaviors could lead to savings of over one billion euros per year in direct healthcare costs alone. When including indirect costs, total savings could reach several tens of billions—comparable to the scale of an entire national budget law. Thanks to the input of experts, the discussion will explore effective strategies for prevention and health promotion based on available data. The goal is to foster a new culture of collective responsibility, grounded in scientific evidence and a pragmatic approach to health policy, one that restores the central role of prevention in a long-term vision.