Are the Rich Getting Healthier than the Poor? Trends in Quality-Adjusted Life Expectancy by Socioeconomic Status in the U.S. from 2000 to 2010

Disparities in health by socioeconomic status in the U.S. are well documented. In order to understand and address these disparities, it is crucial to gain insight as to whether and how they have changed over time, and investigate underlying mechanisms. Employing health tracking methods developed for a U.S. Satellite National Health Account, we use the wealth of data on impairments and symptoms collected in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey in conjunction with national mortality data to track trends in quality-adjusted life expectancy (QALE) since 2000. Trends are disaggregated by education, income, gender, race, and other factors. Variance in scores over time is compared across groups, and the contributions of mortality, health-related quality of life, and behavioral risk factors are parsed out. Additional analyses are in progress. Results will enable us to draw conclusions regarding whether the increase in inequality of incomes in the U.S. has been mirrored by increased inequalities in health, or whether health has become more equally distributed.