Bad News: American Life Expectancy Falls

We may be the wealthiest nation in earth, but we are far from the healthiest. For the first time in the last 50 years, American life expectancy has fallen 2 years in a row.

Its easy to blame the opioid crisis which is huge, but this problem is more widespread than that. Socioeconomics is a major player. We all know that accessibility and quality of medical services strongly affect life expectancy among the elderly.

We have to examine and blame the current US health system. Look no farther than the profit motive for prescription drugs, limitation of access to care for the elderly in Medicare, and the lack of a strong safety net to mitigate the effects of economic hardship.

For all the opulence that this country exudes, how can we continue to ignore the needs of the elderly , the infirm, the poor and the homeless ?

Read original Article Here: https://www.statnews.com/2018/01/04/life-expectancy-us-health-care/