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from the If-you-can't-afford-the-medical-care dept.
A new study found that more than one million US deaths per year—including many young and working-age adults—could be avoided if the US had mortality rates similar to its peer nations:
In 2021, 1.1 million deaths would have been averted in the United States if the US had mortality rates similar to other wealthy nations, according to a new study led by a School of Public Health researcher.
Published in the journal PNAS Nexus, the study refers to these excess deaths as "Missing Americans," because these deaths reflect people who would still be alive if the US mortality rates were equal to its peer countries.
Comparing age-specific death rates in the U.S. and 21 other wealthy nations from 1933 through 2021, the authors find that current death rates in the US are much higher than other wealthy nations, and the number of excess U.S. deaths has never been larger.
"The number of Missing Americans in recent years is unprecedented in modern times," says study lead and corresponding author Jacob Bor, associate professor of global health and epidemiology.
Nearly 50 percent of all Missing Americans died before age 65 in 2020 and 2021. According to Bor, the level of excess mortality among working age adults is particularly stark. "Think of people you know who have passed away before reaching age 65. Statistically, half of them would still be alive if the US had the mortality rates of our peers. The US is experiencing a crisis of early death that is unique among wealthy nations."
The COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a sharp spike in mortality in the US—more so than in other countries—but the new findings show that the number of excess US deaths has been accelerating over the last four decades. Bor and colleagues analyzed trends in US deaths from 1933 to 2021, including the impact of COVID-19, and then compared these trends with age-specific mortality rates in Canada, Japan, Australia, and 18 European nations.
The US had lower mortality rates than peer countries during World War II and its aftermath. During the 1960's and 1970's, the US had mortality rates similar to other wealthy nations, but the number of Missing Americans began to increase year by year starting in the 1980's, reaching 622,534 annual excess U.S. deaths by 2019. Deaths then spiked to 1,009,467 in 2020 and 1,090,103 in 2021 during the pandemic. From 1980 to 2021, there were a total of 13.1 million Missing Americans.
[...] "We waste hundreds of billions each year on health insurers' profits and paperwork, while tens of millions can't afford medical care, healthy food, or a decent place to live," says study senior author Steffie Woolhandler, Distinguished Professor at the School of Urban Public Health at Hunter College, City University of New York. "Americans die younger than their counterparts elsewhere because when corporate profits conflict with health, our politicians side with the corporations."
[...] "The US was already experiencing more than 600,000 Missing Americans annually before the pandemic began, and that number was increasing each year. There have been no significant policy changes since then to change this trajectory," he says.
"While COVID-19 brought new attention to public health, the backlash unleashed during the pandemic has undermined trust in government and support for expansive policies to improve population health," said Bor. "This could be the most harmful long-term impact of the pandemic, because expansion of public policy to support health is exactly how our peer countries have attained higher life expectancy and better health outcomes."
Journal Reference:
Jacob Bor, Andrew C Stokes, Julia Raifman, et al., Missing Americans: Early death in the United States—1933–2021, PNAS Nexus, Volume 2, Issue 6, June 2023, pgad173, https://doi.org/10.1093/pnasnexus/pgad173
(Score: 3, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 17 2023, @12:44AM (21 children)
The United States has no peers. Even when we lose that fantastical 'Superpower' status, we will have no peers. There is not another nation on earth that compares to the United States and it's Constitution.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 0, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2023, @12:50AM (10 children)
Additionally, very few of those Americans are "missing". With few exceptions, they are to be found in graveyards, or up in smoke. What's more, many of them remain on the voting roles, and consistently vote Democrat.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2023, @01:57AM (9 children)
How many times do we have to prove that statistically voter fraud *does not exist* before you people stop bitching about it and using it as an excuse to disenfranchise people who don't vote for you
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2023, @02:41AM
Vote early. Vote often.
(Score: 1, Troll) by VLM on Friday November 17 2023, @12:33PM (6 children)
Statistics are almost entirely used to lie to people in advertisements and PR that generally oppose those people's best interests. I don't think your argument is as convincing as you think it is LOL.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2023, @04:00PM (5 children)
Well which is worse, when they do a study and find literally 14 cases of voting fraud in the election, but one can snarkily say "statistics lol", or when the Orange Clown says "they stole millions of votes!" with zero evidence, and half the country eats it up?
(Score: 3, Touché) by VLM on Saturday November 18 2023, @01:28AM (4 children)
OK, you keep right on using a term and strategy most people associate directly with being lied to by paid PR firms, as your primary sophistry technique to convince people they're not being lied to, I'm sure that'll be very persuasive to people reading it, LOL.
(Score: 3, Funny) by mcgrew on Saturday November 18 2023, @04:14PM (3 children)
The orange traitor to my beloved country is a proven liar and fraudster time and time again. And you appear to be one of his victims.
Impeach Donald Saruman and his sidekick Elon Sauron
(Score: 2) by Azuma Hazuki on Sunday November 19 2023, @05:07PM (2 children)
That's not a victim. That is a willing, useful idiot. Victim implies he can't help it, but if he would spend 10 minutes just looking at reality with a clear head, he wouldn't be thinking and acting this way. No, our frothy friend here is all-in on MAGA insanity and it's entirely his own fault. He's thrown his human card in the incinerator while cackling like a coked-up hyena at the chance to "own the libs."
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Wednesday November 22 2023, @12:49AM (1 child)
It's not an idiot's fault he's stupid, and taking advantage of his stupidity is what evil people do. Maybe his mom was an alcoholic when she was pregnant with him. Maybe she dropped him on his head. Taking advantage of a stupid man is as wrong as taking advantage of a blind man's disability. I pity the poor stupid MAGATs (Make America Grate Again Terrorists, "great" was a misspelling)
Impeach Donald Saruman and his sidekick Elon Sauron
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday November 22 2023, @01:41AM
Don't quit your day jerb.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by https on Friday November 17 2023, @08:48PM
Proof doesn't matter to people who are walking the fascist path. But you go on prooving harder things that are already proved. They love it when you waste your time thinking you're 'debating' them.
Offended and laughing about it.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Tork on Friday November 17 2023, @04:15AM (4 children)
The goal of that little bit of grandstanding is to guide people away from discussing the USA's horrible track record with guns.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 0, Insightful) by Runaway1956 on Friday November 17 2023, @12:18PM (2 children)
Preposterous. Our track record with guns is great. Our track record in dealing with nutcases and criminals is abysmal. When people call the cops to report an unstable fool with a gun, the cops can't be bothered to deal with the unstable fool, even when they have a yellow flag law with which to work.
Lewiston, Maine epitomizes police conduct in relation to nutcases reported in the past. Want to talk about the Boston marathon bombers? Russia informed the US that the brothers were terrorists, and we ignored them. Want to talk about Nicolas Cruz? The list goes on. Cruz was in trouble repeatedly, he was reported, the cops looked, closed their eyes, and went the other way. Want to talk about Uvalde? Do I need to remind you that the cops refused to stop the shooter, until they were certain the body count was high enough?
The day our government decides to deal with crazies and criminals decisively, your "gun problem" will end.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 17 2023, @07:46PM
Maybe if you lot didn't cry about how we live in Hitler's Germany every time you think someone's gun will be taken away there'd be movement on getting the shootings under control.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Tork on Friday November 17 2023, @08:24PM
No. And we need to grow up and quit being in denial about it.
🏳️🌈 Proud Ally 🏳️🌈
(Score: 4, Insightful) by JoeMerchant on Friday November 17 2023, @01:52PM
We have no peers when it comes to gun ownership rights. The death by legally owned firearms rates prove it.
🌻🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Friday November 17 2023, @12:37PM
fortunately true
(Score: 4, Interesting) by istartedi on Friday November 17 2023, @04:28PM
It sounded like you were about to make a good point, then you went all jingoistic.
The point I thought you were about to make is that the USA has no peers because it's the most powerful federation of states, many of which rival countries when analyzed as independent entities. That's why these discussions need to be more about the individual states. The Deep South is where a lot of the problems are. When you look at lifespans for other parts of the country such as New England, it often compares favorably with Europe.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 2) by r1348 on Friday November 17 2023, @09:06PM
And it's knowledge of grammar.
(Score: 2) by mcgrew on Saturday November 18 2023, @04:11PM (1 child)
Typical Trump fan. Here's Bob's quick guide to the apostrophe, you idiots [angryflower.com]
Impeach Donald Saruman and his sidekick Elon Sauron
(Score: 1, Funny) by Runaway1956 on Saturday November 18 2023, @04:21PM
You use your apostrophe's any which way you like, and I'll do the same. It's my right as an American' citizen to butcher the language as I wish.
“I have become friends with many school shooters” - Tampon Tim Walz