Tuesday, May 6, 2014
On Crediting Medicare for the Increase in Life Expectancy
This is so typical of government; jumping to the front of the parade and then taking credit for it. Here are the facts, people. From 1930 to 1960, life expectancy in the U.S. rose from 59.7 years to 69.7 years, a 16.7% increase. Yes, the trend-line did continue to rise after that but the gains from 1960 to 1990 (from 69.7 years to 75.4 years) represented just an 8.2% increase. That's less than half, people, and, so, no, the government really shouldn't be pounding its chest all that much....Not that we can ever stop them of course.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Well, if we practiced alternative preventative medicine and changed our life style and eating habits I'm a betting life expectancy would be in the eighties. Maybe even early nineties.
Excellent point and I think that the process of spending our own money would be a solid inducement to do just that.
In reviewing the stats, I'm thinking there are other factorsbeneath
the swings in 'cause of death', in particular, first the advent of
antibiotics and second the increase in resistant pathogens.
(it would explain the steady rise
in expectancy with a later slowing). The good life (obesity, smoking, sitting, driving) is sometimes not that
healthy. I wouldn't give the guv
credit or blame, nor the doctors
& hospitals, there are so many
driving factors. We seem to have hit a plateau regarding aging:
ancient built-in DNA degradation
and resulting cell death is an area which may see the next breakthrough. I'm not sure how
society would handle large numbers of 130 year old folks though.
Post a Comment