The effect of universal health coverage on pollution induced mortality across 91 countries

Abstract This study investigates the mitigating role of universal healthcare coverage (UHC) in reducing mortality from air pollution, focusing on deaths caused by particulate matter pollution (PMP) and ambient ozone pollution (AOP) across 91 countries from 2000 to 2023. The empirical analysis employs unbalanced panel data and multiple estimation techniques, including fixed-effects models with clustered standard errors, Robust Weighted Least Squares, and the Wooldridge control-function approach. By accounting for heteroskedasticity, non-normality, and potential endogeneity, the analysis prov