Almost every conversation about life expectancy in the United States raises the same question: Why do we lag far behind other wealthy nations despite spending more on clinical health care than any other country?
But what if we've been looking at this from a limited perspective? Instead of focusing solely on clinical spending, we must also acknowledge other non-clinical factors that shorten our life expectancy average, especially those that affect children and young adults.
A new AAMC Research and Action Institute data snapshot, co-authored by Megan Ranney, Dean, Yale School of Public Health, specifically examines three of the primary causes of premature deaths in the U.S: alcohol, drug, and firearms. If these deaths were eliminated, life expectancy at birth would increase by 1.6 years – about half the gap between the U.S. and the average peer country. Overall, ten states would see a more than 2-year jump in life expectancy if these deaths did not occur.
If we really want to improve life expectancy, we need to think about interventions outside of the doctor's office that affect the health and welfare of our communities.
I'm curious to know your perspective on what's leading our nation's decline in life expectancy. What policy interventions outside of the doctor's office should be considered to close this gap in life expectancy to that of the OECD average?
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Atul Grover
Inaugural Executive Director
Association of American Medical Colleges
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