Stagnating Life in USA

Here is a report about a recent study that finds life expectancy gains in the US to be “very moderate” and a five year gap between the wealthy and the poor exists. Data from 1930 to 2000 was used to determine trends and make forecasts on what the future life expectancy might be to the year 2055.

Among the findings of the Rice University of Colorado study called Stagnating Life Expectancies and Future Prospects in an Age of Uncertainty are the following: Average life expectancy in the US for a person born today is 78.49. Recently the world’s richest man Carlos Slim and others have called for increasing the retirement age to 70 or older. This average US age ,78.49, is lower than someone born today in Monaco 89.68yrs., Macau 84.43 yrs. and Japan at 83.91yrs..  

The study also found that gains made from the 1930 into the 1960’s have flattened out and despite disproportionate spending on health care the US international ranking on life expectancy continues to fall. Seems to me health care companies’ profits may have sky rocketed during this same period life expectancies were flattening out.

Also significant in terms of the growing awareness of US income inequity,

the most deprived U.S. citizens tend to live five years less than their more affluent countrymen, according to Justin Denney, Rice assistant professor of sociology, who was principal author for the study.

Professor Denny calls this “the ugly side of inequality,”
It is ugly and how about that 8.49 years of retirement?