Why is life expectancy way lower in the US than the other civilized countries

[Dill]

(09-01-2023, 09:54 AM)KillerGoose Wrote: Yeah, Stone and Pally hit it. U.S. citizens are generally overweight to obese. Nearly half of the country is obese or worse. Healthcare is quite expensive, even with insurance, and many people have built up this resistance to going to the doctor. Add in a drug epidemic and gun violence and it makes sense that it is lower.

I doubt Americans or more obese than Germans, and they've got at least two years on us.

Healthcare may be the main difference.

Germany doesn't have universal healthcare, but they do require that everyone be covered,  and so
offer non-profit insurance options. People cannot be excluded for per-existing conditions.

The access is very good as well, or was when I lived there. Coming back to the U.S. I walked into
a mass of complicated forms and waiting lists. And generally double the cost for half the coverage.

(Surprised we haven't heard any stories yet about Canadians who come to the US because our
care is so much better.)