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Gina Kolata reports at The New York Times that something startling is happening to middle-aged white Americans. Unlike every other age group, unlike every other racial and ethnic group, unlike their counterparts in other rich countries, death rates in this group have been rising, not falling, primarily because of the declining health and fortunes of poorly educated American whites who are dying at such a high rate that they are increasing the death rate for the entire group of middle-aged white Americans. "It is difficult to find modern settings with survival losses of this magnitude," say Ellen Meara and Jonathan S. Skinner.
Though not fully understood, the increased deaths are largely thought to be a result of more suicides and the misuse of drugs and alcohol, driven by easier access to powerful prescription painkillers, cheaper high quality heroin and greater financial stresses. Death rates for people with a high school education or less rose by 22 percent while they actually fell for those with a college education. The rise in death rates among middle-aged white Americans means half a million more people have died in the US since 1998 than if the previous trend had continued. The death toll is comparable to the 650,000 Americans who lost their lives during the Aids epidemic from 1981 to the middle of this year, the researchers say. Anne Case and Angus Deaton warn that middle-aged Americans who are turning to drink and drugs are set to suffer more health problems than their elders unless the downwards trend can be halted. "This is not automatic. If the epidemic is brought under control, its survivors may have a healthy old age. However, addictions are hard to treat and pain is hard to control, so those currently in midlife may be a 'lost generation' whose future is less bright than those who preceded them."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 04 2015, @07:47PM
Maybe now the GOP will be open to a single payer health plan. If not, they will not have a base left to pander to.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by ikanreed on Wednesday November 04 2015, @08:16PM
You don't understand the right wing mindset well enough. It's far more important for them to stop the vague set of people they don't like than it is to help the people they do like.
In general people on the left are constantly confused when their "look, government spending disproportionately benefits republican voters" points don't hold much sway in arguments. Because the mere possibility of any kind of support being given to someone who "doesn't deserve it" is an instant anathema to certain mindsets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:00AM
"You don't understand the right wing mindset well enough."
See the science on reasoning:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYmi0DLzBdQ [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @06:25AM
Who the fuck has time to watch a random youtube video?
Lamer.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 04 2015, @08:20PM
It's just the Market doing its job, removing the deadwood.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by mmcmonster on Thursday November 05 2015, @12:19AM
I work in the health care field in a rural white county.
The population here is strongly against Obamacare, even those who personally got insurance because of it. They'd rather have no insurance and be on charity (and only get their health care in the hospital ER) than pay $100 a month for healthcare. They are good people. They don't want the government messing around with their affairs. They're not well educated and only seek medical care when there's no other option.
Can they afford Obamacare? Depends. Most can, if they're willing to stop their pack-per-day smoking habit. But that requires some self control and delaying gratification.
tl;dr - The poor whites aren't being pushed off the cliff. They're jumping off without even being asked.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday November 05 2015, @02:44AM
These may not be the ones dying from Oxycontin.