From Minor Ailments to Major Illnesses: A Practical Framework for Valuing Morbidity in Environmental Policy Analysis

Mark Dickie and Matthew Neidell

No 35420, NBER Working Papers from National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc

Abstract: Environmental decisions often impact health, yet morbidity valuation remains challenging, with current approaches like cost-of-illness (COI) measures and Quality-Adjusted Life Years failing to reflect individuals’ willingness to pay to avoid adverse health states. This paper introduces a novel framework for valuing morbidity across health conditions, deriving willingness-to-pay (WTP) estimates using widely available preference weights and a baseline condition with known WTP. Our analysis reveals WTP estimates significantly exceeding commonly used COI measures, indicating undervaluation of health states in policy evaluations. Sensitivity analyses highlight variations consistent with those for the value of statistical life, underscoring the method's robustness. This framework offers a practical tool for integrating morbidity into analyses of environmental policy.

JEL-codes: D61 I18 Q51 Q58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026-07
Note: EEE EH PE
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Chapter: From Minor Ailments to Major Illnesses: A Practical Framework for Valuing Morbidity in Environmental Policy Analysis (2026)
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