Happiness and Health Care Coverage

David Blanchflower ()

No 4450, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA)

Abstract: In this paper I examine the characteristics of adults who report on whether they have health care coverage and of people who say that they are unable to see a doctor over the preceding year because of the cost. I make use of a unique data set, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a phone survey undertaken in the United States for the years 2005-2009. I find evidence that not having the ability to see a doctor because of an inability to pay is a major and substantial source of unhappiness in the United States, even for people with high income.

Keywords: life satisfaction; health care coverage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hap and nep-hea
Date: 2009-09

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