Widening life expectancy gap between rich and poor Americans
A report in today’s New York Times reveals a large and widening gap in life-expectancies between rich and poor Americans. During most of the previous century, life expectancies tended to improve roughly equally across income divides. Since the 1980s this is no longer the case as poorer Americans see life expectancies improving much slower then rich Americans.
In 1980-82, [study co-author] Dr. Singh said, people in the most affluent group could expect to live 2.8 years longer than people in the most deprived group (75.8 versus 73 years). By 1998-2000, the difference in life expectancy had increased to 4.5 years (79.2 versus 74.7 years), and it continues to grow, he said.
After 20 years, the lowest socioeconomic group lagged further behind the most affluent, Dr. Singh said, noting that ‘life expectancy was higher for the most affluent in 1980 than for the most deprived group in 2000. If you look at the extremes in 2000,’ Dr. Singh said, ‘men in the most deprived counties had 10 years’ shorter life expectancy than women in the most affluent counties (71.5 years versus 81.3 years).’
The difference between poor black men and affluent white women was more than 14 years (66.9 years vs. 81.1 years).
These are astounding numbers. The study seems to suggest inequitable access to health care insurance, services, and information are to blame. Here again is a glaring demonstration of the necessity to resist calls for privatized health care in Canada. (This is being said, of course, without seeing similar LE-income data for Canada.) Access to wealth should not determine access to health in a democratic society.
This is terrible news for the world’s leading democracy.
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