we are not getting what we paid for

WE ARE NOT GETTING WHAT WE PAID FOR

the original article in jama on life expectancy
and
here is an excellent review of the jama article

i think you all should click on the links above and read them
for yourselves and your kids

we have the most expensive heath care system in the world
we as most agree have the best heath care facilities in the world
even world leaders seek out care here
however
we arent getting what we paid for

folks are uncovered
that are lots of gaps in care
however
except for maybe mental health care that doesnt completely explain all of this

the measure of the heath care system should be longevity
how long we all live
that number has continued to climb until recently so we are or should i say were living longer

it seems the last few years that number has peaked
so
that it now is going downward instead of upwards

why
obesity
opioids
suicide
alcohol abuse
mental health issues ie depression drug and alcohol addiction

some would argue all four of these things are mental health issues

now
opioid overdoses can partially be blamed on the drug companies who make them and the medical community that allowed themselves to be duped
mental health issues contributes to this also

obesity leads to heart disease stroke alzheimers disease diabetes kidney disease back and lower back diseases cancer which lowers the longevity curve
it also lowers the quality of life for those affected with this malady
this one is on us
we have no one else to blame for this one

its seems we are drinking ourselves to death
leading to cirrhosis fatty liver disease liver cancer

suicides are up
we are killing ourselves while we are young by suicides
alcohol and drugs and  mental health are behind it all
we have a bad mental health system in the united states

these are the things politicians should be addressing and fixing
well
we have to fix some of this ourselves
we need to look in the mirror and blame that person you see there

heres the numbers
71% of us are obese
life expectancy peaked in 2014 and has remained plateaued since then
the number dropped this year to 78.6 years
in 1959 it was 69.9
it is thought the number will only continue to drop over the next few years

texas california oregon new york has not had a drop in life expectancy
the worst states are in the ohio valley
pennsylvania and west virginia represent the worst places

liver disease from alcohol has increased 157%
liver cancer is one of the few cancers that has increased in numbers as they are up 60%
suicide rates have increased
obesity rates are up just stop and look around you
opioid suicides are up 32.5%

all of this drop off in longevity affects those no matter their gender age or ethnicity

what are we going to do
fix the economy for those on the lower end
fix our health care delivery system
fix our mental health care system
redesign our approach to addiction and drug abuse
change our over use of alcohol
look in the mirror and do better on diet weight loss and exercise

we
it seems
are killing ourselves
slowly

the organicgreen doctor