Wealth, Medical Spending, and Health : Evidence from a Housing Reform

He, Zeen and Huynh, Luu Duc Toan (2026) Wealth, Medical Spending, and Health : Evidence from a Housing Reform. Working Paper. Centre for Globalisation Research, Queen Marry, University of London.

Abstract

This paper leverages China’s 2006 housing reform and a non-parametric Regression Discontinuity Design (RDD) to identify the causal impact of housing wealth on health and healthcare spending across age groups. We document a rich series of findings. A positive housing wealth shock leads to an increase in out-of-pocket medical expenses of the elderly and children, at both the extensive and intensive margins, thereby improving their health. These effects differ across age cohorts, highlighting how positive wealth shocks are translated into health improvements through both direct spending and private insurance uptake. In contrast, these health effects are not evident among young adults. Overall, these results indicate that wealth shock reduces health inequality within vulnerable households. The underlying mechanisms also differ by age group: a pure wealth effect for the elderly, precautionary savings incentives for younger adults, and inter-generational investments for children.