[Denny]

This from the New York Times:

Gap in life expectancy widens

I think the value of socialized health care should be reconsidered in light of this, particularly access to testing. Its interesting that the income statistics are thereafter linked to racial ones.

"One of the researchers, Gopal K. Singh, a demographer at the Department of Health and Human Services, said “the growing inequalities in life expectancy” mirrored trends in infant mortality and in death from heart disease and certain cancers.

The gaps have been increasing despite efforts by the federal government to reduce them. One of the top goals of “Healthy People 2010,” an official statement of national health objectives issued in 2000, is to “eliminate health disparities among different segments of the population,” including higher- and lower-income groups and people of different racial and ethnic background.

Dr. Singh said last week that federal officials had found “widening socioeconomic inequalities in life expectancy” at birth and at every age level."

The one bit of good news is that life expectancy has increased at both the high and l;ow income ends of the sprecyturm, jsut the low end has not advanced nearly so much.

Beyond the issue of socialized health care, another could well be the fact that those with shortest life spans, such as alcoholics and drug abusers, mostly have very low incomes. But, I have also noticed that those who live in the poorer sections of U.S. cities, blacks in particular, seem to have a lot of obesity and this leads to so many complications, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. Perhaps blacks are more subject to obesity due to genetic make-up, I am not so sure.

The peculiarly low black life expectancy in the U.S. pulls the nation's health rankings down among developed nations.

[Heineken]

Ultimately, life expectancy will decline for all income groups, due to economic depression and environmental collapse.

"Income groups" can be very quickly redefined. Or can just disappear.

This is one of those news stories that makes me go, "Duh." No surprises.

Yes, socialized medicine would be great, but we've chosen to pursue the care and feeding of bombs instead.

As a result, there is no money left for broken legs etc.

[Fishman]

Numerous studies have shown education level is the biggest determinant of health. This runs across every parameter. Socialized medicine though with some good points, won't address any of the biggest determinants. Smoking and a crappy diet are little influenced by access to health care, greatly influenced by education level.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Fishman', 'N')umerous studies have shown education level is the biggest determinant of health. This runs across every parameter. Socialized medicine though with some good points, won't address any of the biggest determinants. Smoking and a crappy diet are little influenced by access to health care, greatly influenced by education level.

[vision-master]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Fishman', 'N')umerous studies have shown education level is the biggest determinant of health. This runs across every parameter. Socialized medicine though with some good points, won't address any of the biggest determinants. Smoking and a crappy diet are little influenced by access to health care, greatly influenced by education level.