Why is America rich and spends a lot of money on health care, but its average life expectancy is still low?

The average American life expectancy is at the bottom of the list of 48 countries surveyed at 76.4 years. The United States is overshadowed by most other developed nations.

The average life expectancy of Americans is 76.4 years, not high compared to developed countries. (Illustration source: 1thcm)

Recent data from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) shows that life expectancy in the United States has plummeted to its lowest level in nearly 30 years. According to the World Bank, the United States recorded such a lower life expectancy in 1996, 27 years ago.

Of the 48 countries surveyed, the United States ranked 34th. In 2003, it ranked 10th. That change puts the country in the top six countries with the largest decline in life expectancy.

Average life expectancy in OECD and partner countries is 80.3 years. Switzerland is the top (83.9 years) and Latvia is the lowest (73.1 years). On average, women live longer than men. The gender gap is 5.4 years: women (83 years) compared to men (77.6 years).

Life expectancy in these countries has fallen by 0.7 years due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, with the figure set to rise again in 2022. However, the report notes that gains had started to slow even before the pandemic, especially for women.

According to the NY Post , heart disease (the leading cause of death in Americans), stroke, obesity and diabetes (the number of cases of which is expected to double by 2050) are the major diseases affecting the health of people around the world .

Air pollution, smoking and alcohol consumption are considered the leading risk factors hindering increased life expectancy.

Data shows that the US has a lower rate of daily smoking than other countries. However, per capita alcohol consumption and pollution-related death rates in the US are higher than average compared to other developed countries.

Not only that, the US is also struggling with an obesity epidemic, with the country's overweight population worse than average.

“The United States may be one of the richest countries in the world and certainly spends more on health care than any other country,” said Dr. Steven Woolf, “yet Americans are sicker and die earlier than people in dozens of countries.” This assessment is similar to the OECD report.

Even Americans who live healthy lifestyles such as not being obese or not smoking appear to have higher rates of the disease than their peers in other countries, according to Dr. Woolf's research published in the American Journal of Public Health .

“The new analysis shows that premature death among Americans is a much larger and more enduring public health problem than previously realized,” Dr. Woolf added.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/vi-sao-nuoc-my-giau-va-chi-bon-tien-cho-cham-soc-suc-khoe-tuoi-tho-trung-binh-van-thap-249732.html