Health Policy: Comparative Analysis of US Health Statistics

This report delves into the factors contributing to the lower life expectancy in the United States compared to other economically strong countries. It highlights the impact of high healthcare costs, income disparities, and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as obesity and drug addiction. The report references data from the CDC and emphasizes the need for interventions to address these issues, including efforts to reduce obesity, balance individual incomes, and lower healthcare costs. The analysis underscores the complex interplay of these factors and their collective influence on the overall health and life expectancy of the US population. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the current situation, supported by cited research and statistics.

Running head: HEALTH POLICY
THE RELIABILITY OF COMPARATIVE INTERNATIONAL STATISTICS
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1HEALTH POLICY
Many reasons explain the cause of the US having lower life expectancy as compared to
countries with similar economic strength as the US. The major reason is the incapability of the
healthcare system. Health system cost in the US is very high, which makes it difficult for every
person to access it without health insurance. On the other hand, it has been researched that there
is income discrepancy across the country (Hamidi et al., 2018). Even though the US is the
economically strong country, however, there remains incongruity in income among people.
Therefore, it becomes difficult for every people in accessing health facilities.
American’s have a big fascination for dessert and fried food. Eating unhealthy food also
reduces the life expectancy of the individual in developed countries like the USA. The unhealthy
food choice adds up to the obesity factor. Research has shown that about one-third of people in
the US die due to obesity.
US people are addicted to opioids that have been identified by U.S Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC) that declines life expectancy rate of the country. In 2017, deaths
due to the overdose of the drug increased by 10% from 2016 (CDC Works 24/7, 2020). As drug
addiction increases, the suicide rate also increases. All these factors together add to lowering of
life expectancy in the USA even though they are ranked to be one of the most economically
strong countries.
Efforts are required for reducing the rate of obesity, maintaining a proper balance in the
individual income as well as reducing the health care cost would help in increasing the life
expectancy within the country.

2HEALTH POLICY
References
Hamidi, S., Ewing, R., Tatalovich, Z., Grace, J. B., & Berrigan, D. (2018). Associations between
urban sprawl and life expectancy in the United States. International journal of
environmental research and public health, 15(5), 861.
CDC Works 24/7. (2020). Retrieved 17 February 2020, from https://www.cdc.gov/