Heterogeneity, State Dependence and Health

Abstract

This paper investigates the evolution of health over the life-cycle using the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We allow for two sources of persistence: unobserved heterogeneity and state dependence. The former is modeled by discrete “types.” Estimation indicates that there are at least four types suggesting that there is a large degree of heterogeneity governing health dynamics. We find that the degree of state dependence is near unity for over half of the population. The implications of these findings are twofold. First, health inequalities in adulthood have antecedents in childhood. Second, policies that improve health care and its delivery may be an effective means of mitigating the gradient.Health, Dynamic Panel Data Models, Gradient