We consider the covariance structure of health. Agents report their health status on the basis of a latent health stock that is determined by permanent and transitory shocks, and time invariant fixed effects. At age 25, permanent shocks account for 5% to 10% of the variation in health. At age...

We investigate the evolution of health inequality over the life-course. Health is modeled as a latent variable that is determined by three factors: endowments, and permanent and transitory shocks. We employ Simulated Minimum Distance and the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to estimate the model....

In this paper, we use longitudinal data on Self-Reported Health Status from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to estimate a model of the evolution of health over the life-cycle. The model allows for two sources of persistence in health: unobserved heterogeneity, which models an individual’s...

In this paper, we investigate the impact of aggregate and idiosyncratic economic shocks on health using data on self-reported health status and mortality from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. First, we document a large correlation between poor macroeconomic conditions and mortality for...