2023-10-04 19:30:00
WP reports on analysis of 50 years of U.S. death data
Early death between ages 35 and 64… life expectancy drastically reduced
From the middle of developed countries in 1980 to the bottom in 2020
The ‘life gap’ between the rich and the poor is also widening.
Medical staff is caring for a COVID-19 patient in the intensive care unit of a hospital located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA, in 2021. AP Yonhap News
It was found that non-elderly people aged 35 to 64, who are expected to devote themselves to economic activities for a long time, are dying earlier in the United States than in other developed countries. It is not because of the infamous shooting incident or drugs such as fentanyl. A major factor was the inability to receive timely treatment for manageable chronic diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
The U.S. Washington Post (WP) reported on the 3rd (local time) on the 3rd (local time) that it has been tracking the “life expectancy crisis” in American society for a year, which is still considered the world’s wealthiest country, but which has already fallen to the lowest among developed countries in terms of life expectancy. After analyzing data from death records over the past 50 years and interviews with numerous clinicians, patients, and researchers, the newspaper concluded that “Americans are dying faster.”
Americans aged 35 to 64 die due to inability to manage chronic diseases
Trends in life expectancy of the American people compared to major developed countries. Graphics = Reporter Kang Jun-gu
According to WP, while life expectancy in most developed countries has increased over the past 40 years due to advances in medical technology, the United States has unusually lagged behind. In 1980, American life expectancy (73.7 years) was in the middle among 16 developed countries, but in 2020, it plummeted to the lowest (76.8 years). Not only did it fall far behind Norway (75.7 → 83), which showed a steady rise, but it was also surpassed by Scotland (72.2 → 78.3) and Taiwan (71.8 → 81.1). It was a loss of face for the ‘world’s richest country.’
This is not because medical development in the United States is particularly slow. The decisive factor in the drastic decrease in American life expectancy is the fact that there were significantly more deaths in the working age group (ages 35 to 64) than in other developed countries, and the main causes of death were obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and liver disease. every A ‘chronic disease’ that can lower the fatality rate if managed consistently.am. The WP pointed out that although the number of deaths among people aged 35 to 64 due to this is more than twice that of deaths due to drug overdose, murder, extreme choices, and traffic accidents combined, the seriousness of it has been overlooked. Arlene Geronimus, a professor at the University of Michigan who studies health equity, said,Politicians focus on gun murders, opioid addiction, and HIV, but America’s biggest disasters are cardiovascular disease (due to neglect of chronic diseases) and cancer.“He emphasized.
Insurance is the people’s lifeline… If you don’t have money, you can’t get treatment.
The gap between rich and poor in the U.S. healthcare system is also driving Americans to their deaths. paperBecause of the lack of universal and public health care coverage, ‘Can you afford expensive insurance?’ is the deciding factor between life and death.This means that this happens. ‘Medicaid’, a national medical assistance system for low-income people and the disabled, exists, but maintaining eligibility for support is difficult. For example, expensive treatments such as obesity surgery are difficult to cover through general insurance.
In fact, the ‘death gap’ (difference in life expectancy) between the rich and poor in the United States is also gradually widening. In 1980, residents in the lowest-income counties were 9% more likely to die than their wealthier counterparts, but that gap widened to 49% in 2015 and 61% during the COVID-19 pandemic. WP said “The indicator of inequality in the United States has become not ‘income’ but ‘life and death itself’“He pointed out.
Some point out that chronic problems in the U.S. medical system have exploded due to the pandemic. There are already a large number of people exposed to chronic diseases that make them vulnerable to the COVID-19 virus, and millions of people were unable to receive treatment when renewal of eligibility was halted due to a surge in Medicaid applications. At the time of the pandemic, American life expectancy in 2021 was 76.4 years, the lowest since the mid-1990s.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said.
Yujin Lee Reporter iyz@hankookilbo.com
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