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Mortality and Healthcare: a Stochastic Control Analysis under Epstein-Zin Preferences

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  • Joshua Aurand
  • Yu-Jui Huang

Abstract

This paper studies optimal consumption, investment, and healthcare spending under Epstein-Zin preferences. Given consumption and healthcare spending plans, Epstein-Zin utilities are defined over an agent's random lifetime, partially controllable by the agent as healthcare reduces mortality growth. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time Epstein-Zin utilities are formulated on a controllable random horizon, via an infinite-horizon backward stochastic differential equation with superlinear growth. A new comparison result is established for the uniqueness of associated utility value processes. In a Black-Scholes market, the stochastic control problem is solved through the related Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman (HJB) equation. The verification argument features a delicate containment of the growth of the controlled morality process, which is unique to our framework, relying on a combination of probabilistic arguments and analysis of the HJB equation. In contrast to prior work under time-separable utilities, Epstein-Zin preferences facilitate calibration. The model-generated mortality closely approximates actual mortality data in the US and UK; moreover, the efficacy of healthcare can be calibrated and compared between the two countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Joshua Aurand & Yu-Jui Huang, 2020. "Mortality and Healthcare: a Stochastic Control Analysis under Epstein-Zin Preferences," Papers 2003.01783, arXiv.org, revised Jul 2021.
    • Handle: RePEc:arx:papers:2003.01783
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Giorgio Ferrari & Shihao Zhu, 2022. "On a Merton Problem with Irreversible Healthcare Investment," Papers 2212.05317, arXiv.org, revised Dec 2023.
    2. Michael Monoyios & Oleksii Mostovyi, 2022. "Stability of the Epstein-Zin problem," Papers 2208.09895, arXiv.org, revised Apr 2023.
    3. Ferrari, Giorgio & Zhu, Shihao, 2022. "Consumption Descision, Portfolio Choice and Healthcare Irreversible Investment," Center for Mathematical Economics Working Papers 671, Center for Mathematical Economics, Bielefeld University.

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