Past event
Department of Economics Seminar with Professor Robert Ostling, Stockholm School of Economics The Roots of Health Inequality: Evidence from Swedish Dental Records and Lottery Data
Abstract: We analyze the causal mechanisms underlying economic inequality in health using Swedish administrative data on oral health and dental care consumption. The data allow us to measure health status objectively in a setting where care is predominantly financed out of pocket. We show income is positively correlated with both oral health and dental care consumption, but the income gradient in oral health is substantially diminished after controlling for human capital. To pinpoint the causal role of financial resources, we use data from four lotteries. We find that neither oral health nor dental care consumption is significantly affected by lottery winnings. In the final part of the paper, we exploit discontinuities in policy design and policy reforms to assess patient behavior in the dental insurance system. While patients demonstrate notable responsiveness to incentives, we observe little heterogeneity across income groups.