The Fund supports networks of state health policy decision makers to help identify, inspire, and inform policy leaders.
The Milbank Memorial Fund supports two state leadership programs for legislative and executive branch state government officials committed to improving population health.
The Fund identifies and shares policy ideas and analysis to advance state health leadership, strong primary care, and sustainable health care costs.
Keep up with news and updates from the Milbank Memorial Fund. And read the latest blogs from our thought leaders, including Fund President Christopher F. Koller.
The Fund publishes The Milbank Quarterly, as well as reports, issues briefs, and case studies on topics important to health policy leaders.
The Milbank Memorial Fund is is a foundation that works to improve population health and health equity.
June 1993 (Volume 71)
Quarterly Article
Jonathan S. Feinstein
Nov 5, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
Oct 23, 2024
Back to The Milbank Quarterly
Mortality rates in the developed world have fallen sharply during the twentieth century. Individuals of lower socioeconomic status, however, generally have faced higher mortality rates than individuals of higher status. The literature documenting the relationship between socioeconomic status and health is reviewed, including several recent contributions and evidence from other countries. A conceptual framework then draws two distinctions: one contrasting the relative impact of lifestyle habits with the use of health care on health outcomes; and the other seeking to quantify the importance of resources relative to behavioral factors in explaining differential outcomes. The literature to date has been more successful in documenting health inequalities than in explaining why these inequalities persist.
Author(s): Jonathan S. Feinstein
Download the Article
Read on JSTOR
Volume 71, Issue 2 (pages 279–322) Published in 1993
