Jay Bhattacharya

Darius Lakdawalla

Dana Goldman

A fair amount of research suggests that health has been improving among the elderly over the past 10 to 15 years. Comparatively little research effort, however, has been focused on analyzing disability among the young. In this paper, we argue that health among the young has been deteriorating, at the same time that the elderly have been becoming healthier. Moreover, this growth in disability may end up translating into higher disability rates for tomorrow's elderly. Using data from the National Health Interview Survey, we find that, from 1984 to 1996, the rate of disability among those in their 40s rose by one full percentage point, or almost forty percent. Over the same period, the rate of disability declined for the elderly. The recent growth in disability has coincided with substantial growth in asthma and diabetes among the young. Indeed, the growth in asthma alone seems more than enough to explain the change in disability. Therefore, we argue that the growth in disability stems from real changes in underlying health status.

Are the Young Becoming More Disabled?

Timothy Hyde

Peter Tu

Health Economics introduces students of economics, public health, and medicine to the modern field of health economics. The book emphasizes the link between economic theory and health policy, and covers both the established models of health insurance and the dilemmas that policy makers currently face. Features include: * Broad scope, featuring comparative health policy and empirical examples from around the world * Topical issues such as the obesity epidemic, economic epidemiology, socioeconomic health disparities, and behavioral economics * The latest research including the Oregon Medicaid Experiment and the potential impacts of US health reform Student-friendly, Health Economics is written in an engaging, lively style, enhanced by cartoons and images that relate the principles of health economics to everyday life. It also offers hundreds of exercises to help solidify and extend understanding.

Jay Bhattacharya

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