Health insurance and height inequality: Evidence from European health insurance expansions

Health insurance expansions can improve health outcomes by increasing access to healthcare. This is especially true among the poorer segments of the population, who may not be able to afford the cost of healthcare, or might lack the information about where to seek proper medical care. In this paper we examine whether increased access to health insurance has historically reduced height inequality by promoting body growth, particularly among poor individuals, and so enhanced their height, a widely used and well-established anthropometric health and well-being indicator. We draw on evidence from a large global panel of countries for which we could measure height inequality. Our evidence documents that indeed within-country differences in height inequality decreased following health insurance expansions towards near-universal coverage.