Health Equity of Economic Determinants (HEED)
Government policies on taxation and social security are important determinants of population health outcomes and health inequalities. However, there is a shortage of evidence to inform policymakers of the health consequences of such policies. The Health Equity and its Economic Determinants (HEED) project aims to assess the potential impacts of different taxation and social security policies across Europe on population health and health inequalities using a computer-based simulation that provides projections over multiple health domains.
In the first phase, key input parameters for the model are estimated using estimation techniques that control for the effects of prior exposure on time-varying confounders and mediators (g-methods). The second phase involves developing and validating the microsimulation model for the UK. Policy proposals, developed with policymakers, are simulated in the third phase to investigate the impacts of income tax and social security changes on population health and health inequalities. In the final phase, the microsimulation model is extended across other European countries.
HEED is the first multi-country microsimulation policy model focusing on health and its economic determinants.
The microsimulation model is populated with health effects estimated using advanced epidemiological methods that control for prior exposure and time-varying confounding.
The distributional effects of taxation and social security policies is estimated using an established and widely used open-source tax-benefit microsimulation model (EUROMOD for EU countries, and UKMOD for the UK).
Hypothetical policy scenarios, to be simulated within the model, are developed with policymakers to ensure they answer relevant questions.