The umbrella-body will produce two reports to inform public and political debate.
The first will appear at the confederation’s conference in Manchester in June dealing with spending trends since 2002 and funding projections to 2032, including an assessment of the scope for increased effectiveness and productivity.
This report will also compare the UK's spending on health and care to that of comparable countries, listing potential options for additional funding.
A second report, due in late 2018, will examine how well the NHS is doing at meeting its objective of providing a comprehensive service, which meets the needs of all.
NHS Confederation chief executive Niall Dickson said: “As just about everyone recognises the pressures on the health and care system are becoming intolerable.
“Now is the time to have an objective assessment of what we need over the next 10 to 15 years to stimulate debate about what we as a society are willing to pay for and what we can expect from our health and care system.”
IFS director Paul Johnson said the public faced tough choices about the future of the NHS.
“Informing the choices over levels of funding, future requirements and ways of raising that funding is crucial,” he added.
