We examine the effect of publicly provided health care on welfare by combining local level data on public health care, and individual level data on life satisfaction. It is shown that relatively high expenditures in health care have a positive effect on individuals' life satisfaction in our...

Despite spending far more on medical care than any other nation and despite having seen a century of unparalleled improvement in population health and longevity, the United States has fallen behind many of its global counterparts and competitors in such health outcomes as overall life expectancy...