Income and Health Outcomes: Revisiting the Income-Health Gradient
Carter, Craig H.; Showalter, Mark
Abstract
Much of the current debate surrounding health care is centered on the perception that the socio-economically disadvantaged are less healthy than their richer counterparts. This idea, known as the income-health gradient, has been studied heavily in the academic literature and this poster is an update of one such study conducted by Case et al. in 2002. In their study, the researchers found that those with lower incomes also have lower self-reported health scores, and that this relationship not only persists, but actually worsens, as people get older. Using updated data, I found that this problem is still very prevalent in our society today, and a dilemma that has serious policy implications. To conclude my research, I conduct a simple cost-benefit analysis aimed at identifying the most plausible remedies for the income-health gradient.