Sadly, a new study has uncovered a worse trend — the United States leads the way in rising avoidable deaths. This is in sharp contrast to global trends. Over this same period—from 2009 to 2019—the rate of avoidable death in the U.S. more than doubled, increasing by an average of 33 per 100,000 people. By 2019, it climbed to over 280 per 100,000. This stands in stark contrast with the European Union, where excess deaths were 24 per 100,000 lower over the same period. Last week, the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development crowned that success a celebration. Avoidable deaths have gone down across its member nations by 19 per 100,000.
Despite being the highest spender on health care among high-income countries, the U.S. has seen a troubling rise in preventable fatalities. A second study released March 24th in JAMA Internal Medicine looked at specific U.S. states. It emphasized differing public health policies as a major exacerbating factor. These differences are Medicaid expansion, abortion restrictions, and gun control laws that have developed contrastingly across states.
In New York, avoidable deaths only increased by 5 per 100,000 residents. At the same time, West Virginia experienced an equally shocking jump of 100 per 100,000 people. Importantly, the study centered on the inequities in state-level policy. It failed to consider the possibilities of what might be fueling the dramatic increases in positive health outcomes.
The analysis points out that while other developed nations are successfully reducing avoidable fatalities, the U.S. struggles with rising numbers. This gap illustrates how much of an impact policy choices have on our health. More importantly, it highlights the immediate need for comprehensive strategies to address these preventable deaths.
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