"Allen, Actually, the U.S. is a more hostile environment to certain groups, for example young African American males. The death rate from homicide and accidents in the U.S. is quite high, and this is reflected in a lower life expectancy for the U.S. as a whole (younger deaths weigh more heavily on live expectancy). If you look at life expectancy at age 50 (ie. at what age will a 50 year old die on average) the U.S. number is actually higher than every other country, including Japan.
Which is the more accurate measure of the effectiveness of a system in the treatment of disease? How do deaths from accident and homicide reflect on a country's ability to provide health care?
I contend, as I note in the links (http://www.drdarrellwhite.com/ ), that the excellence of disease care in the U.S. contributes to the higher cost of health care here. This is an indictment of our HEALTH, and our empty-scrotum PUBLIC HEALTH policies, not of our medical care. We are simply better at keeping fat, drunk, 3-pack-a-dayers alive than any other country. Comment #137 - Posted by: bingo at November 3, 2009 2:41 PM" from http://www.crossfit.com/
