The poorest are dying even sooner than before, report shows

[DBoon]

from: http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/080422/disparities-in-life-expectancy-increasing.htm

Using U.S. mortality statistics for every year between 1961 and 1999, the researchers found that overall life expectancy rose from 67 to 74 years for men and from 74 to 80 years for women. From 1961 to 1983, death rates for both men and women fell, largely because of gains in cardiovascular disease.

From 1961 to 1983, the differences in death rates across different counties also fell. But beginning in the early 1980s, the differences in county-level death rates began to increase while life expectancy decreased in many counties, especially among women. Not only did differences decrease, death rates actually increased in some areas.

Most of these were counties lining the Mississippi River in the Deep South and in Appalachia, along with parts of the Midwest and Texas. The increase in death rates came from an increase in cancer, diabetes, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and fewer gains in cardiovascular disease. For men, add HIV/AIDS and homicide.

And the increase in disparities primarily occurred in the worst-off segment of the population, with life expectancy for 4 percent of males and 19 percent of females either declining or stagnating.

Thirty years of the reagan revolution and poor people are now dieing younger.

One sign of the Soviet Union's collapse was an absolute decline in life expectancy. Are we now in collapse as well?

[sui generis]

1. gosh I hope so!

:sarcasm:

how else is there going to be any money left in social security for yet another lockbox grab?

Unfortunately I read a statistic produced by the SS administration over a year ago that basically stated that the people most likely to have paid into SS their whole lives and most dependendent on Social Security in their senior years are the least likely to live long enough see a penny of it. The people who need it the least are the ones most likely to live the longest, ironically.

How's that for eating the poor!

A broken system, although I am not at all even remotely in favor of "privatizing" it either. When we have a real candidate (that would not be anyone running now) who has the BALLS and intellect to conceive of real innovation and leadership on this issue, and on healthcare issues (and on my "single voter" issue) I might get interested in what our party is doing for people again.

Until then we should all better strive to be in the eating class rather than the eaten class. chill, sarcasm.

[truedelphi]

2. Chris Rock says funny stuff about how blacks should start getting their Social security checks

When they turn 28 - cuz they aren't living to be 38!

All kidding aside, what is said in the OP and response one are very tragically true.

[FloridaJudy]

3. It's official

This is now a Third World country. The income gap is horrendous, the middle class is withering, and the poor are starting to die like flies.

We can't even call ourselves a "developing" country, since we're obviously devolving.