US Death Rate Rises, Health Officials Aren't Sure Why (nbcnews.com)

New submitter Ungrounded Lightning writes: According to The New York Times, the U.S. death rate has risen for the first time in more than a decade (or several decades if particular). The rise is across the whole population, though whites, especially the less educated among them, were recently (and separately) documented to be particularly hard hit. The article speculates about drug abuse (prescription as well as illegal), suicides, and Alzheimer's, though it notes that heart disease -- which had been consistently dropping -- has also risen. No mention was made of whether the cutover to Obamacare might have had some effect. The aging of the population was mentioned, though the rise is present even within particular age groups. The National Center for Health Statistics shows the adjusted death rate went up from 723 deaths per 100,000 people in 2014 to nearly 730 deaths per 100,000 in 2015. We do know that the suicide rate in the U.S. has surged to its highest level in almost three decades.

Comments

Recession is really a depression

[Anonymous Coward]

Look at the labor participation rate, not the widely reported unemployment figure. The participation rate is dismal and reflects a lot of white, working class men who don't fit into the modern work force.

Re: Recession is really a depression

[Anonymous Coward]

What's hilarious is that you waste so much time and energy making and saving links, as though anyone gives a shit.

Try making your own arguments instead of depending on others to do it for you, tool.

Re:Recession is really a depression

[Grishnakh]

This is absolutely true. Hispanics and blacks, and really all non-whites, with a few exceptions here and there, are generally extremely socially conservative compared to white people. White people are the most socially liberal worldwide, with the possible exception of Thais. Think about it: in what parts of the world is it legal for women to walk around topless or nude? In what parts of the world is it socially acceptable for people to have casual sex with multiple partners? What countries/places have legalized marijuana? What places are the most irreligious? What places are the safest and most accepting for homosexuals? I'll tell you which places aren't on this list: any place in Latin America, any place in the Middle East, China, Philippines, India, Russia, and the American South which is heavily populated by African-Americans. Black people in the South are famous for being extremely religious and conservative, and Hispanics are famous for "family values" and being Catholic and having a lot of kids. These are not traits of socially liberal people.

Now of course, there's plenty of ultra-conservative white people too, particularly in the South and the Midwest and the "heartland" and also Utah. Also in Russia, where the Russian Orthodox church has become very powerful after the fall of the USSR.

But you're exactly right: these minorities are generally rather conservative. They only vote Democratic because the Republican party panders to white racism and blames them for the nation's ills, so they happily vote for right-wing Democrats like Hillary who insist that "marriage is between one man and one woman" (up until it's too politically expedient to change that opinion), and who are completely against legalizing marijuana, and who take "campaign contributions" from the private prison industry and payday loan industry.

Re: Recession is really a depression

[LunaticTippy]

I bought a dorm fridge in the 80s for about $150 and it is probably still running. It was horrible and sucked electricity so hard it dimmed the lights. It cost about the purchase price in electricity every year!

I bought a dorm fridge this year for about $150 and it is quite energy efficient, $30/year electricity use. It is really nice - separate door for the large pizza capable freezer, main compartment light, better temp control. No idea how durable, but it carries a nice warranty and with the energy savings I can afford a new one every other year and still save money and resources..

In my case fridge prices have dropped considerably as they have gotten better.

Re:Recession is really a depression

[david_thornley]

Government has some reason to help the poor, but business really doesn't. They don't have money, and the fact that they're poor mean they're more available, replaceable, and exploitable as labor. They don't have the capital to set themselves up in some sort of business, even for the entrepeneural ones.

So, assume that you're a poor man with a wife and two kids, barely scraping by. You have no money to take courses to improve your lot, or time for that matter, since you're working two part-time jobs and have travel time. In the absence of government intervention, how are you going to get your share of improving productivity?

If you're a business owner, in the absence of government regulation, what incentive do you have to spend a dime on pollution abatement? These are practical questions. While you say you don't want pollution, grinding poverty, or social Darwinism, I don't see how your ideology leads you to ways to avoid them.

Certainly, if you can label what you like "socialism" and point to North Korea (totalitarian), China (totalitarian), Greece (devastated by EU bankers), and Venezuela (screwed up) as the inevitable endgame, I can label what you like "anarcho-libertarianism" and point to Somalia. I'd rather stick to more productive arguments, myself.

Re:Recession is really a depression

[TsuruchiBrian]

Trump doesn't know shit. He is just making it up as he goes along. He has one trick. Rile up angry white racists, and have no shame. I don't think even he realized how successful this idiotically simple strategy would be. I don't think the leaders in the Republican party realized just how many assholes were in their own party until now. The other republican candidates seemed to share the delusion that their party was not about racism, bigotry, xenophobia, misogyny, jingoism, etc, but it turns out they were wrong. That's exactly who they cultivated, and who they are.

It's completely fucking scary, but at least it's out in the open now. Trump is by far the must unfavorable presidential candidate in US history. Unfortunately the democrats seem unable to nominate a candidate that is better than the 2nd most unfavorable presidential candidate in US history.

Regardless of who wins this election, the loser will be American society as a whole. Whoops. Luckily the damage a bad president can do alone is limited to making good laws harder to pass and bad laws easier to pass, preventing the nominations of good supreme court justices, and starting shit with other countries.

Re:Poverty

[whoever57]

Not just poverty. Medical insurance is so expensive and often has very high deductibles so that many middle class people don't go to the doctor when they probably should.

Lack of Privacy?

[hcs_$reboot]

I wonder how the increasing lack of privacy may psychologically impact indirectly the death rate, and more specifically the suicide rate. The amazing revelations from Snowden, the recording of whatever / whenever, the increasing ability to flag any light wrongdoing, or being reachable at any time and place are all factors that add their small amount of permanent stress.

Re:Campaign season

[Anonymous Coward]

Yeah I think this is by far the biggest "douche vs turd" election I've ever witnessed, and I can't even fathom how it could possibly get even worse than this. Seriously, this year politics in America has probably hit rock bottom.

If I may speak for a second on behalf of everyone in the rest of the world...

America, you have just shy of 325 million residents. I don't know how many of those are natural-born residents eligible to run for US President, but I assume the percentage is fairly high. Let's say at least 275 million people. How is it that from such a huge number that these are the best people you could come up with???

You guys really need to dig deeper for political talent. We in the outside world are getting worried about you if the current crop of clowns is the best you can find!

Yaz

The problem is that the two major parties are broken.

The Clinton and their apologists have captured the Democratic Party so thoroughly that Crooked Hillary! can literally commit felonies with classified data and still win the nomination, despite Sanders winning more votes from actual party members. And if you're naive enough believe for a second Crooked Hillary! didn't commit felonies with classified data: "If they can't, turn into nonpaper w no identifying heading and send nonsecure." - hrod17@clintonemail.com Of course the classified emails on Crooked Hillary!'s illegal email server weren't marked classified - Crooked Hillary! TOLD HER AIDES TO REMOVE THE CLASSIFICATION MARKINGS! (Except, well, some of them still were, so Crooked Hillary! lied about that, too - surprise, SURPRISE, SURPRISE!!!)

The Republican Party is broken because its leadership ignores the party base. The Republican Party base voter does not want a bigger government - period. But the Republican leadership "play fights" with Democrats. When Democrats want, for example, $1 trillion for Obamacare, Republican leadership makes a lot of noise, then agrees to fund $750 billion. The base wanted zero. Trump is the Republican base voters' way of damn near literally giving the finger to Republican leadership - because Trump runs around almost literally giving the finger to everyone. The fact that Trump, unlike Republican leadership, is actually willing to give the finger to Democrats too is a bonus.

(And Trump will win because he ain't Crooked Hillary!. Although, the DoJ is now investigating close Clinton confidante and Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe. Why now, one wonders? Speculating here, but perhaps it's Obama's hedge if it becomes necessary in Democrat Party leadership minds to push Crooked Hillary! aside should the email issues wound her obviously enough that she's guaranteed to lose to Trump, but she still refuses to abandon her campaign. Crooked HIllary! won't quit, then suddenly McAuliffe gets caught with enough dirt on Crooked Hillary! that she goes to jail. Hey, I can dream, right?)

Political Talent

[SeattleLawGuy]

You guys really need to dig deeper for political talent. We in the outside world are getting worried about you if the current crop of clowns is the best you can find!

The problem is not political talent, but the ability to rule wisely and well. Our institutions, unfortunately, do not optimize for selection of a person with that skill set. And our press and population are, unfortunately, more interested in outrageous stories that generate lots of clicks and outrage than they are in reasonable discussions of issues which would recognize the interests of stakeholders and strive to develop meaningful plans.

Most people probably do not encounter a single meaningful expert panel discussion on any policy issue even once in their lives. Our presidential debates are like children throwing sand in the sandbox when held against those.

Re:it's obvious

[Entrope]

If you look at the components of the increase, it does not look much like an obesity epidemic. There are increases in suicide, Alzheimer's, gun deaths (probably because of suicides), and opioid overdoses. Most of the increase was among whites, especially white women, but whites have a slightly lower obesity rate than most other racial categories in the US.

It is easy, but probably wrong, to blame this on people's bad eating habits.

Re:WTF with the spurious Obamacare reference?

[dcooper_db9]

Another anecdote: I have a rare and very serious autoimmune disease called Poly Arteritis Nodosa. I lost my health insurance after the Maryland high risk insurance program was transferred to CareFirst. They "lost" all the records from the previous management company and failed to renew my insurance. Once I lost my insurance I had a "preexisting condition" and was ineligible for coverage. Unfortunately Federal law makes it nearly impossible to sue a health insurance company. Even if they commit outright fraud, even if their actions cost you hour life, you have little recourse.

Remicade cost about $90k per year so I had to take out a home equity loan to pay my medical bills. After I blew through my savings I lost access to medication I desperately needed. Multiple visits to the Maryland State House and television interviews were not sufficient to get CareFirst to remedy their error.

I am alive today for two reasons. The first is that Abbot Labs provided me with Humira for free. Thanks to the drug company's donation my doctors were able to stop the progression of the disease. Ultimately I did regain the use of my left arm and partial use of my vocal chords. I have since lost the use of my left shoulder but it has minimal impact on my ability to function.

The second reason I'm alive is due to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA required insurance companies to accept patients with pre-existing conditions. I have since been able to get coverage and have kept the disease in remission. In fact, I just got the good news that the disease is in complete remission and for the time being I no longer need to take any medications to control it.

Now on to evidence that is not anecdotal. Many people don't know that, or if, they are benefiting from the ACA. Health expenditure per capita in the US as of 2013 was $9000 per person. For a single person that's $9k. For a family of three that's $27k. I pay about $6k per year and I'm grateful for the subsidy I receive. How many people, how many family's are paying their share?

The cost of health insurance does continue to rise. But since the reform act it has risen at a slower pace than it did before the reform. Between 2000 and 2010 the cost of coverage rose on average by 7.1 percent. Between 2010 and 2014 it rose by 5.2 percent. In 2015 it rose by 4.2 percent. When you consider those cost increases you should also consider that a lot of very sick people are getting treatment today.

Personally I had misgivings about the ACA. I had concerns that reform would reduce incentive for pharmaceutical companies to develop new drugs. I also had concern that the ACA was so complex that it would collapse. Health finance companies simply act as a middle man taking a cut of every transaction. If you're going to reform I think the financial management of health care should be nationalized. But so for the ACA has not collapsed. Millions of people are getting medical care who did not have access before 2010.

Re:WTF with the spurious Obamacare reference?

[BronsCon]

To be fair, Congress gutted what was a good bill. Obama lacked the testicular fortitude to not sign what Congress handed back to him of his bill, so it's still his fault we're stuck with it; but the bill he handed Congress was good.