[Does income effect health? Analysis with data by the socioeconomic panel].

To determine the influence of income on health, the per capita weighted income is computed for every respondent of the German Socio-economic Panel. The effect of this income variable on health satisfaction and utilisation of medical services is examined via cross-sectional analysis, considering age and gender and taking the life circumstances under account (operationalized via professional activity level of qualification, partner and parenthood). Analysis of variance and regression show that health satisfaction grows with increasing income, while there is no evidence for similar effects of income on the utilisation of medical services.