Best In Class? US Slips To 49th In Global Life Expectancy

[Purveyor]

The United States currently ranks 49th in the world in overall life expectancy, according to a study published in the academic journal Health Affairs, slipping dramatically during the last decade.

"As of September 23, 2010, the United States ranked forty-ninth for both male and female life expectancy combined," concludes the study, conducted by Columbia University health policy professors Peter A. Muennig and Sherry A. Glied, which will appear in the November edition of the influential peer-reviewed journal.

The noteworthy decline is highlighted by the fact that in 1999, the World Health Organization ranked the US as 24th in the world in the same category, life expectancy.

The report by Muenning and Glied found the prime culprit of the plunge to be America’s deteriorating health care system, marred by ever-rising costs and growing numbers of uninsured and under-insured individuals.

Noting that the United States spends over twice as much per capita on health care than other industrialized nations, it adds: "The observation that Americans are spending relatively more on health but living relatively shorter, less healthy lives has led some critics to allege that the US health care system is 'uniquely inefficient.'"

MORE...

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/10/slips-49th-life-expectancy-study/

[cherokeeprogressive]

1. Yay!

:shrug:

[hunter]

2. "Uniquely inefficient?" That's like "We're Number One!" Right?

:party:

[CTyankee]

7. I've even heard some right wingers explain our low life expectancy by pointing

out that we have more murders than the high ranking countries...and they do it with straight faces, altho I don't know how...

[TBF]

12. That's a nice point in the conversation to address the topic of gun control -

though it may also end the conversation rather quickly.

[SocialistLez]

11. I'm sure they mean all these inefficient "health" insurance companies

It's more efficient to have ONE payer for medical bills.

[Hannah Bell]

3. note that the social security raiders are using our rising life expectancy as an excuse to defund SS

but the last ten years have seen declining income for the majority -- which typically = stagnant or declining life expectancy.

if we continue being impoverished, life expectancy isn't going to rise, & may fall.

it is already falling for some groups.

[DirkGently]

4. But (rich) people here have the Best Healthcare in the World (of rich people)!

[the redcoat]

5. We spend more on healthcare, but

less on food. Way less.

[sakabatou]

6. Huzzuh?

[kctim]

8. Guess that is the price we pay

to live in a free society.
Won't change until the majority put their health ahead of their individual freedoms. 10 years maybe.

[melm00se]

9. we are, collectively as a nation,

FAT

obesity has a dramatic impact upon life expectancy probably more so than any single factor.

Obesity leads to:

- Type 2 diabetes
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol
- Certain cancers
- Sleep apnea
- Osteoarthritis
- Gallbladder disease and gallstones
- Fatty liver disease
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Gout
- Psychological and emotional effects.

some of these are directly fatal, others accumulate until there is a larger systemic collapse leading to a shortened life span.

we could probably solve many of our health care related problems if we, as a nation, lost some fricking weight.

[old mark]

10. But Cheney's doing OK...Grandma will get her just reward in heaven...

She won't get shit here.


mark