Scitovsky and health

In this paper we start from three considerations about health, health care and health insurance put forward by Tibor Scitovsky, to spell out a conceptual method of reasoning about the effects on excitement (positive satisfaction and active interest) and happiness of the existence, in western countries, of a developed health care sector. We argue that even if the high security that this coverage guarantees may negatively affect the degree of excitement of western citizens, health care contributes also, as a human capital investment, to their creativity. The latter effect was probably understated by Scitovsky, who adopted, in our view, a simplistic and value- loaded approach to health and health care production and consumption