A damning report has revealed that the United States could have prevented a million deaths each year if it had mortality rates comparable to other wealthy nations. The study analyzed mortality rates since the 1930s in 21 peer countries, including the UK, Canada, Japan, Australia, and various European countries. Alarmingly, the US has consistently experienced higher death rates per capita since around 1980, which have reached unprecedented levels in recent years. The report attributes this discrepancy to factors such as the opioid and fentanyl epidemic, gun violence, obesity-related deaths, and the impact of the Covid pandemic.
A graph included in the report shows the international life expectancy rankings of G7 countries from 1950 to 2020. Remarkably, the US dropped from 13th place to 53rd place during this period. Another graph reveals the number of excess deaths in the US compared to other nations between 1933 and 2021. While the US had lower mortality rates than peer countries during and after World War II, the number of excess deaths began to rise in the 1980s.
According to the study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Nexus, around 600,000 deaths could have been prevented in 2019 alone if the US had mortality rates similar to its peer countries. This number increased to 1.1 million in 2020 and 2021. Senior author Steffie Woolhandler, a professor at Hunter College, blamed America’s healthcare system, insurers, corporate greed, and politicians for the avoidable deaths. The lack of universal healthcare coverage in the United States sets it apart from other countries on the list.
The team of researchers from Boston University School of Public Health, University of Pennsylvania, Harvard Chan School of Public Health, and Hunter College found that the excess death rate in the US had been worsening since the 1980s. From 1980 to 2021, there were approximately 13.1 million “missing Americans” who could have been saved if the mortality rates were similar to other countries. The study’s lead author, Jacob Bor, described this number as unprecedented in modern times. He highlighted that nearly half of the missing Americans died before the age of 65, emphasizing the crisis of early death unique to the US compared to other wealthy nations.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a decline in life expectancy in recent years. In 2020, life expectancy dropped by nearly two years compared to 2019, and it declined further to 76.4 years in 2021. Heart disease and cancer remained the top two leading causes of death in both years, with Covid becoming the third leading cause. The study noted that living in the US is a risk factor for early death across different racial and ethnic groups, challenging the common focus on health disparities between these groups.
Accounting for future years lost due to premature death, the researchers estimated that excess deaths in 2021 resulted in a loss of 26.4 million years of life compared to peer countries. Unfortunately, the study’s lead author, Mr. Bor, expressed pessimism regarding the rebound of mortality rates in the near future. Despite the decline in Covid deaths, he highlighted the lack of significant policy changes to alter the trajectory of increasing excess deaths in the US. He emphasized that expanding public policies to support health, a strategy adopted by peer countries, is crucial for improving life expectancy and overall health outcomes.
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