In this study we aim to investigate the health discrepancies arising from unequal
economic status, known as the “wealth-health gradient”. Our sample comprises 47,163
individuals from 14 European countries in the SHARE Wave 4 (2011), representing the
population aged 50 and older. Through a cross-sectional OLS regression model, we
have tested the impact of country-level indicators to infer their effect on personal health
and on the magnitude of the gradient. The results find that private expenditure yields, on
average, a higher, but fast decreasing, health benefit than public expenditure; and that
income inequality is irrelevant for reducing health inequalities
