STAT

Opinion: Drop in U.S. life expectancy is an ‘indictment of the American health care system’

The abysmal new data about life expectancy in the U.S. should be a wake-up call for our health care system.

The economy may be growing and the stock market booming, but Americans are dying younger — living shorter lives than previous generations and dying earlier than their counterparts around the world.

It is easy to place the blame squarely on our nation’s opioid epidemic, but if we do that we miss seeing the abysmal new life expectancy data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for what they are — an indictment of the American health care system.

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from STAT

STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About An Amgen Obesity Drug, A Senate Bill On Shortages, And More
Amgen will no longer develop an early-stage obesity pill, and will instead focus on a more advanced injectable candidate to compete with Wegovy and Zepbound.
STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About AstraZeneca CEO Pay, Alternatives To WuXi And More
And so, another working week will soon draw to a close. Not a moment too soon, yes? This is, you may recall, our treasured signal to daydream about weekend plans.…
STAT2 min read
STAT+: Pharmalittle: We’re Reading About FTC Fighting ‘Junk’ Patents, Pfizer Direct-to-consumer Plans, And More
The FTC expanded its campaign against pharmaceutical companies for filing what it calls “junk” patent listings for 20 different brand-name treatments.

Related Books & Audiobooks