nhboy
Ubi bene ibi patria
Link to original article.
"The Affordable Care Act is merely a small step in the direction of universal healthcare. One need only look at the data on life expectancy among Americans to realize how badly health care reform is needed in the United States. People in much of Europe are, on the whole, outliving residents of the U.S., which in some places, is looking more and more like a Third World country when it comes to life expectancy.
There is a considerable amount of data on life expectancy among Americans, much of it disturbing. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. lags behind a long list of countries when it comes to overall life expectancy. WHO has reported that the U.S., factoring in both genders, has an overall life expectancy of 79 (76 for males, 81 for females) compared to 83 in Japan and Switzerland, 82 in France, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Israel, Luxembourg, Singapore and Sweden, 81 in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, New Zealand, Finland, South Korea, the Republic of Ireland and Norway, and 80 in Belgium, Slovenia, the U.K., Malta, Kuwait and Portugal.
Those WHO figures for the U.S. take into account the country as a whole, and overall, Americans clearly aren’t living as long as Europeans. But the news becomes even more troubling when one examines a report that the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington released in July 2013.
That study broke down life expectancy for men and women in different parts of the U.S., showing a strong correlation between income levels and longevity.
The report found that life expectancy is 81.6 for males and 84.5 for females in Fairfax County, Virginia (a very affluent area) and 81.4 for males and 85.0 for females in Marin County, California (another upscale area) compared to only 63.9 for males and 72.9 for females in McDowell County, West Virginia or 66.7 for males and 73.3 for females in Tunica County, Mississippi.
The fact that males in McDowell County are, on average, dying 18 years younger than males in Fairfax County or Marin County speaks volumes about inequality in the U.S. That type of disparity is more typical of a developing country than a developed country. Yet when one compares life expectancy in McDowell County to life expectancy in Guatemala, one of Latin America’s poorest countries, Guatemalans come out slightly ahead. WHO has reported an overall life expectancy of 69 for Guatemala (66 for men, 73 for women)."
.....
"What will it take to reverse declining life expectancy among much of the U.S. population? First and foremost, healthcare reform needs to be greatly expanded, not rolled back. Economist Robert Reich has said that while “Obamacare is an important step, it still leaves 20 million Americans without coverage.” The food stamp program should remain in place for those who need it, not be butchered in order to appease the Tea Party.
But food stamps are a temporary measure, not a long-term solution—and increasing life expectancy among Americans will mean rebuilding the U.S.’ embattled middle-class, decreasing unemployment and decreasing underemployment. It will also mean strengthening unions (which have a long history of decreasing poverty and creating better working conditions), establishing a living wage, and protecting Social Security and Medicare rather than turning them over to Wall Street.
Accomplishing any of those things will be an uphill battle. But if present economic, employment and political trends are allowed to continue, many Americans can look forward to dying younger than their counterparts in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe."
"The Affordable Care Act is merely a small step in the direction of universal healthcare. One need only look at the data on life expectancy among Americans to realize how badly health care reform is needed in the United States. People in much of Europe are, on the whole, outliving residents of the U.S., which in some places, is looking more and more like a Third World country when it comes to life expectancy.
There is a considerable amount of data on life expectancy among Americans, much of it disturbing. According to the World Health Organization, the U.S. lags behind a long list of countries when it comes to overall life expectancy. WHO has reported that the U.S., factoring in both genders, has an overall life expectancy of 79 (76 for males, 81 for females) compared to 83 in Japan and Switzerland, 82 in France, Iceland, Spain, Italy, Australia, Canada, Israel, Luxembourg, Singapore and Sweden, 81 in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria, New Zealand, Finland, South Korea, the Republic of Ireland and Norway, and 80 in Belgium, Slovenia, the U.K., Malta, Kuwait and Portugal.
Those WHO figures for the U.S. take into account the country as a whole, and overall, Americans clearly aren’t living as long as Europeans. But the news becomes even more troubling when one examines a report that the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington released in July 2013.
That study broke down life expectancy for men and women in different parts of the U.S., showing a strong correlation between income levels and longevity.
The report found that life expectancy is 81.6 for males and 84.5 for females in Fairfax County, Virginia (a very affluent area) and 81.4 for males and 85.0 for females in Marin County, California (another upscale area) compared to only 63.9 for males and 72.9 for females in McDowell County, West Virginia or 66.7 for males and 73.3 for females in Tunica County, Mississippi.
The fact that males in McDowell County are, on average, dying 18 years younger than males in Fairfax County or Marin County speaks volumes about inequality in the U.S. That type of disparity is more typical of a developing country than a developed country. Yet when one compares life expectancy in McDowell County to life expectancy in Guatemala, one of Latin America’s poorest countries, Guatemalans come out slightly ahead. WHO has reported an overall life expectancy of 69 for Guatemala (66 for men, 73 for women)."
.....
"What will it take to reverse declining life expectancy among much of the U.S. population? First and foremost, healthcare reform needs to be greatly expanded, not rolled back. Economist Robert Reich has said that while “Obamacare is an important step, it still leaves 20 million Americans without coverage.” The food stamp program should remain in place for those who need it, not be butchered in order to appease the Tea Party.
But food stamps are a temporary measure, not a long-term solution—and increasing life expectancy among Americans will mean rebuilding the U.S.’ embattled middle-class, decreasing unemployment and decreasing underemployment. It will also mean strengthening unions (which have a long history of decreasing poverty and creating better working conditions), establishing a living wage, and protecting Social Security and Medicare rather than turning them over to Wall Street.
Accomplishing any of those things will be an uphill battle. But if present economic, employment and political trends are allowed to continue, many Americans can look forward to dying younger than their counterparts in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and much of Europe."
