The Wealth Gap is Making Us Sick

[Modern School]

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has just issued the government’s first report ever on the health disparities caused by social inequity in the U.S. In general, lower-income residents reported fewer average healthy days and more illness than wealthier individuals.

Between 1981 and 2006, the number of pre-term births increased from 9.4% to 12.8%. Infant mortality and pre-term births are linked to the ability of mothers to obtain adequate nutrition, health care and social support before, during and after birth. Smoking, which is much more common among lower income Americans, also increases the risk of premature births and infant mortality.

Families living at or below the poverty level were five time more likely to live in “inadequate” housing (flaking lead paint; defective or nonexistent smoke detectors, wiring or plumbing; mold; rodents; leaks) that increased their exposure to toxins and pathogens. Approximately 5% of American families are living in such inadequate and unhealthful housing.

The number of people without health insurance rose from 31 million in 1987 to 47 million in 2006, and 52 million last year. Because of their lack of insurance, many of these people did not get preventative health care or treatment for mild and chronic diseases, causing them to progress to life-threatening situations. Not surprisingly, the highest rates of hospitalizations were in the poorest communities, with African Americans having highest rate of preventable hospitalizations. Meanwhile, record numbers of hospitals and emergency rooms have been closing.

To read the full article, please go to http://modeducation.blogspot.com/2011/01/wealth-gap-is-making-us-sick.html

[CountAllVotes]

1. Excellent informative post and website you have there!!

Welcome to the Democratic Underground!! :D

:kick: & recommend.

[Ferret Annica]

2. Life expectancy has fallen in the USA, and is consistently behind European countries

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/dec2010/life-d11.shtml

"Life expectancy fell slightly in the United States in 2008 for the first time since 2004. According to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics released Thursday, US life expectance fell to 77.8 years in 2008, from 77.9 years in 2007.

The CDC’s National Vital Statistics Report is based on death records comprising more than 99 percent of the demographic and medical files of all deaths in the US in 2008. It showed a decrease in life expectancy for both men and women, falling by about one-tenth of a year from 2007 to 2008, or the equivalent of about a month. It went from 80.4 to 80.3 years for females; 75.4 to 75.3 years for males.

Life expectancy for white women in 2008 was the highest, 80.6 years, down 0.2 since 2007; followed by black women at 76.8 years, unchanged since 2007. White men born in 2008 could expect to live to 75.7 years, down 0.2 since 2007. Life expectancy for black men was the lowest, although rising by 0.2 over 2007 to 70.2 years in 2008, an all-time high.

The drop in US life expectancy measured by the report is the first decline since 2004. Although small, any drop in life expectancy is a retrograde development, and the decline observed by the CDC report almost certainly corresponds to rising levels of social inequality, poverty, and lack of access to health care as a result of the recession." (more in above link)

[maryf]

3. K&R

Next time post jems like this in the General Discussion! Thanks! and welcome!

[HockeyMom]

4. My Dad's ILA Union Health Center

It had EVERYTHING from soup to nuts. Need any kind of health or dental care? Go to the medical center and it was totally FREE. It was all paid for by ILA Union dues. I went there until I was 18 years old and started working myself. After Dad passed away, my Mom was still covered and went there until she died.

Nothing that I have ever seen in my 62 years even came close to this.

[LeftishBrit]

5. k&r

[LeftishBrit]

6. Kick

This is one of the most fundamental and tragic issues in health care.

[LeftishBrit]

7. Another big kick

Interesting that an article summarizing what is perhaps *the* key political issue - and tragedy - in healthcare should have 6 replies, when vaccine controversy threads can get over 100 (and yes, I realize I contribute to the latter too).

[area51]

8. Kick. n/t