Surge in Long-Term Sickness Causing ‘Triple Whammy’ to Economy: OBR

The surge in long-term sickness will cause a “triple whammy” to the UK economy, potentially costing taxpayers billions in the coming decades, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) has warned. Peers heard on Tuesday that if current health trends persist, the country’s borrowing could rise by an additional 4 percent of GDP within the next 50 years—equivalent to more than £100 billion. OBR Chairman Richard Hughes told the Lords economic affairs committee that another 1 million people could be out of work due to ill-health by 2070. “It’s a sort of triple whammy in the sense that if the health of the population deteriorates, you lose tax revenue, you spend more in welfare, and you’ve got more pressure on the health service,” he said....