From 1959 to 2016, U.S. life expectancy increased from 69.9 years to 78.9 years, but then began to decline after 2014. (Photo: Shutterstock)
U.S. life expectancy is decreasing due in large part to midlife deaths from drug overdoses, suicides and diseases brought on by smoking, obesity and stress, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
"Despite excessive spending on health care, vastly exceeding that of other countries, the United States has a long-standing health disadvantage relative to other high-income countries that extends beyond life expectancy to include higher rates of disease and cause-specific mortality rates," writes the lead author, Steven H. Woolf, director emeritus of the Center on Society and Health at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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Katie Kuehner-Hebert
Katie Kuehner-Hebert is a freelance writer based in Running Springs, Calif. She has more than three decades of journalism experience, with particular expertise in employee benefits and other human resource topics.
