The income inequality and health in the European Union countries

Inequalities are reflected in all areas of socio-economic life. They are visible for example in areas such as employment and working conditions, education, housing but also health. Health of the population is affected by several determinants, which include income. In this paper, we focus on income inequality and health and examine the relationship between income and health. The purpose of this paper is to take measure the eligibility provided that the company with inequitable income distribution has worse health outcomes. We use the methods of observation and description of socio-economic phenomena and processes using deduction to formulate some conclusions. We use statistical software IBM Statistics and we examine the relationship between defined variables - the Gini coefficient and life expectancy. Basic general research methods, that we use to fulfill the intention of article, are: comparison, analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, and other empirical methods. The aim of this paper is to consider the postulate that the European Union countries with higher income inequalities have poorer health outcomes. Among several experts there is no consensus on the relationship between income and health. Some state that income inequality makes a difference in health, others note that income inequality itself can not affect the health of inhabitants. We believe that there is the effect of income inequality on health, but not a decisive factor in health inequalities. On the other hand, health may affect the economic (income) inequality by means of the impact on the labor market and education. When examining the relationship between income and health, we do not forget other factors, including macro factors such as macro-economic development and micro factors such as the individual's behavior towards his health and his individual income. Whether or not there is a link between income inequality and health, it requires inequalities solution across a range of economic and social fields: from distribution through the tax and social protection systems to income and property policies, a stronger public services and the strengthening of equal opportunities