from Hacker News

New CDC life expectancy data shows painfully slow rebound from Covid

by eigenhombre on 11/29/23, 1:18 PM with 1 comments

• by chiefalchemist on 11/29/23, 1:31 PM

  > The United States has dug itself into a huge life-expectancy hole, and not just because of the virus that slipped into the country in stealth fashion in 2020. In articles this year, The Washington Post has explored the many reasons this country lags peer nations in life expectancy, and a major finding is that chronic conditions such as heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer play an underappreciated role in suppressing life spans.

  Rebound from Covid? In the context of worsening heart disease, obesity, diabetes and cancer sounds Orwellian. Ultimately, Covid was a symptom. A symptom of a general population that's on average unhealthy, often in more ways than one.

  Furthermore, life expectancy is a somewhat of a bogus metric. The better question is: is the *quality* also improving with the quantity? Is meds instead of prevention (read: changes to diet and lifestyle) improving lives or simply keeping people alive longer so they can be prescribed still more and more meds?

  The System is working, better for some than others. Follow the money.