Tuesday, October 12, 2010

More Expensive to Die Sooner

The U.S. continues its slide in mortality and now ranks 49th in terms of life expectancy. A new study just released by Health Affairs shows that compared to countries with similar populations and GDP(Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom) we are dying sooner that all these other folks. Right wing crazies, teabaggers and other crazies will blame the fact on all the blacks, Hispanics, gays and other ner-do-wells are included with all the white, christian, hetero folks and pull the numbers down. The study proves otherwise and shows that whites are dying sooner as well and the inclusion of immigrant populations with the populations of whites in the U.S. actually improves the overall numbers. It is an interesting study but not very encouraging.

There is a bonus though and that is we in the U.S. get to pay twice the median for "finest" health care in the world as the other countries. Isn't that good news?

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