Income Inequality and Health: A Cross-Country Analysis

Using CNEF ( Cross-National Equivalent File) panel data from Germany, Great Britain, and the United States we investigate whether self-reported health at a given age ( ages 50 , 60 and 70) varies systematically with the degree of income inequality at that age and household size-adjusted post-government income at younger ages. We find little evidence that links self-reported health to current income inequality but strong evidence that past income is highly correlated with subsequent self- reported health in all three countries