As the Terminally Ill Adults Bill progresses to the Committee Stage, the future of assisted dying in the UK is becoming increasingly clear, with both positive and negative implications on the horizon. This article will analyse the economic and moral impacts of euthanasia, focusing on its potential effects on healthcare systems and ethical considerations in the UK. It will explore its impact on healthcare, legal and palliative care costs and impact on family support systems, whilst evaluating the moral undertones that define euthanasia.

One prominent area of economic cost is on healthcare, and with 10% of the NHS budget spent on patients in their last year of life in 20231, the economic impact that the legalisation of euthanasia could bring is significant. As is often discussed, the NHS is in need of funding, and with the average cost of a bed in a hospital for one day coming to around £3402 , according to Will Quince - Former Secretary of State for Health - euthanasia could be the solution to this. Reduced hospital stays equate to a greater number of free beds in hospitals, fewer medical professionals occupied at any one time, and fewer PPE, medical and food related costs. 35% of adult inpatients were in their last year of life3, and with patients in their last year of life on average needing much more intensive care to prolong their lives4, the money that could be saved in healthcare and intensive care costs could be crucial in medical research or preventative medicine.

However, it must be noted that there are significant legal costs for assisted dying, with David Paton, at the Nottingham University Business School estimating that the legal and medical process under the original proposition would mean that each assisted death would cost £3,600 in England and Wales, and £2,800 in Scotland5. While the regulations surrounding assisted dying are evolving through the governmental process, it is evident that, regardless of the final framework, substantial costs will be required to prevent a "slippery slope" and to maintain the strict safeguards that must accompany such a controversial process. Ensuring these measures are implemented correctly is essential not only for ethical and economic integrity but also for preserving public trust in the healthcare system.

Furthermore, the impact on the palliative care system must be taken into consideration, as this effect on Canada since the legalisation of euthanasia has been significant. Many hospices have lost funding as a result of their moral stance not in keeping with euthanasia laws6, and have therefore closed, and with MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) being much more readily available than hospice care with only one third of Canadians having access at all7, the moral and economic impact has been significant. It can be argued that by having this system, hospices will become increasingly expensive and much less readily available, forcing many into assisted dying. The economic impact here could be much more on the family of the patient, with many older people ‘feeling like a burden’8 financially, and feeling forced into an assisted death.

This is only proved further by the problem of tax; currently, pensions are passed on to the next of kin without inheritance tax, provided a person dies before the age of 759. Andrew Tulley told the Telegraph, "They’re at the end of their life, but at the same time are worried about providing for those they’ll leave behind". The implication that many are forced into dying prompts important questions surrounding how the UK's proposed euthanasia bill will be put in place.

Overall, while euthanasia raises many economic and moral concerns, it is undoubtedly a positive shift that the topic is now being openly discussed, a marked shift from the taboo surrounding it in the past10. It is the role of the government to represent the people's opinions, especially surrounding such a controversial topic, and the need for strict safeguarding is clear. With careful consideration and continued dialogue, the hope is that ethics can be balanced with economics, to address the complexities of assisted dying and the protection of vulnerable individuals.

Sources:

1 The Nuffield Trust, 2023 

(https://www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/over-80-of-healthcare-cost-in-the-final-year-of-life-spent-on-ho spitals#:~:text=Over%20half%20(53%25)%20of,spend%20(%C2%A39.6bn)

2 TheyWorkForYou, 2023 

(https://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2023-02-17.146908.h#:~:text=The%20cost%20per%20bed %20day,treatment%20costs%20is%20%C2%A3344.60.) 

3 The Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, 2021 

(https://www.ficm.ac.uk/sites/ficm/files/documents/2021-10/ficm-critical-condition_0.pdf)

4 Fung, K. K. 1993. Dying for Money: Overcoming Moral Hazard in Terminal Illnesses through Compensated Physician-Assisted Death. The American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 52(3), (275–288.

http://www.jstor.org/stable/3487149)

5 David Paton, 2025 

(https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5100702#:~:text=We%20use%20this%20framewor k%20to,and%20%C2%A32%2C800%20in%20Scotland)

6 ehospice, 2021 

(https://ehospice.com/editorial_posts/the-impact-of-assisted-dying-on-hospices-and-palliative-care/)

7 ehospice, 2021 

(https://ehospice.com/editorial_posts/the-impact-of-assisted-dying-on-hospices-and-palliative-care/)

8 National Library of Medicine, 2011 

(https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3070710/#:~:text=That%20change%20is%20most%20concerni ng,and%20a%20sense%20of%20isolation.)

9 The Telegraph, 2024 

(https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/tax/six-figure-tax-problem-looming-labour-assisted-dying/)

10 National Library of Medicine, 2020 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31493137/)