The average lifespan in the U.S. is about 78 years, and for the first time since the 1990s, it’s getting shorter.
Despite spending much more on health care, Americans are sicker than people in other wealthy countries, with illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and stroke on the rise. So are “despair deaths” from drugs, alcohol, and suicide, according to researchers, with social isolation, poverty, and addiction laying the groundwork.
A long life is not just a health issue; it’s a justice issue. The wealthiest 1 percent, according to a study reported in The Lancet medical journal, now live on average 10 to 15 years longer than the poorest 1 percent. The shock of that statistic belies some basic logic that says the length of your life should not depend on the size of your bank account.
[For more on this story by Megan Wildhood, go to http://www.yesmagazine.org/iss...ive-longest-20180305]
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