Doing both solves inequality

Finally, policymakers can consider adopting progressive tax policies to fund social programs. A wealth tax, for example, can be used to improve access to health care, housing, and job training. Such an approach can achieve multiple goals, such as increasing the disposable income of families and individuals, decoupling the role of income in accessing health-promoting resources, and reducing the magnitude of income inequality, which, as we pointed out, is independently associated with negative health outcomes. Other policies gaining popularity and acceptance are guaranteed income programs such as universal basic income and negative income taxes, which could replace or supplement current means-tested safety net and antipoverty programs.29 These redistributive policies would increase the role of government in reducing inequality, which helped narrow inequality in the United States and elsewhere in the early to mid-20th century.