RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The Effects of Health Events on the Economic Status of Married Couples
JF Journal of Human Resources
JO J Hum Resour
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 219
OP 230
DO 10.3368/jhr.38.1.219
VO 38
IS 1
A1 Wu, Stephen
YR 2003
UL http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/38/1/219.abstract
AB This paper uses measures of exogenous health “shocks” to identify the different channels through which changes in health conditions affect income, wealth, and consumption behavior. The results indicate that serious health conditions have strong effects on household wealth, but that the effects for women are larger and more significant than the effects for men. The source of the asymmetry arises from the fact that general living expenses increase when wives become seriously ill, while for husbands, health shocks do not affect these expenditures.