The Great Unequalizer: Initial Health Effects of COVID-19 in the United States

Marcella Alsan (), Amitabh Chandra and Kosali Simon

Journal of Economic Perspectives, 2021, vol. 35, issue 3, 25-46

Abstract: We measure inequities from the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality and hospitalizations in the United States during the early months of the outbreak. We discuss challenges in measuring health outcomes and health inequality, some of which are specific to COVID-19 and others that complicate attribution during most large health shocks. As in past epidemics, preexisting biological and social vulnerabilities profoundly influenced the distribution of disease. In addition to the elderly, Hispanic, Black and Native American communities were disproportionately affected by the virus, particularly when assessed using the years of potential life lost metric. We provide a conceptual framework and initial empirical analysis that seek to shed light on contributors to pandemic-related health inequality, and we suggest areas for future research.

JEL-codes: D63 I12 I14 J15 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (21)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/jep.35.3.25 (application/pdf)
https://doi.org/10.3886/E132521V1 (text/html)
https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/jep.35.3.25.appx (application/pdf)
https://www.aeaweb.org/doi/10.1257/jep.35.3.25.ds (application/zip)

Related works:
Working Paper: The Great Unequalizer: Initial Health Effects of COVID-19 in the United States (2021)
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aea:jecper:v:35:y:2021:i:3:p:25-46

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.aeaweb.org/journals/subscriptions

DOI: 10.1257/jep.35.3.25

Access Statistics for this article

Journal of Economic Perspectives is currently edited by Enrico Moretti

More articles in Journal of Economic Perspectives from American Economic Association Contact information at EDIRC.
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Michael P. Albert ().