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China Overtakes US For Healthy Lifespan, WHO Data Finds (reuters.com)

According to World Health Organization data, China has overtaken the United States in healthy life expectancy at birth for the first time. The data from 2016 finds Chinese newborns can look forward to 68.7 years of healthy life ahead of them, compared with 68.5 years for American babies. "American newborns can still expect to live longer overall -- 78.5 years compared to China's 76.4 -- but the last 10 years of American lives are not expected to be healthy," reports Reuters. From the report: The United States was one of only five countries, along with Somalia, Afghanistan, Georgia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where healthy life expectancy at birth fell in 2016, according to a Reuters analysis of the WHO data, which was published without year-on-year comparisons in mid-May. The best outlook was for Singaporean babies, who can count on 76.2 years of health on average, followed by those in Japan, Spain and Switzerland. The United States came 40th in the global rankings, while China was 37th. In terms of overall life expectancy China is also catching up with the United States, which Reuters calculations suggest it is on course to overtake around 2027. Meanwhile U.S. life expectancy is falling, having peaked at 79 years in 2014, the first such reversal for many years.

9 of 286 comments (clear)

  1. lies by slashmydots · · Score: 4, Insightful

    China is also very well known for lying about things and faking stats to appear better than everyone else. It goes all the way from the local level with fake recycling bins that go straight to trash pickup to faking national statistics.

    1. Re:lies by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 5, Funny

      China is also very well known for lying about things and faking stats to appear better than everyone else. It goes all the way from the local level with fake recycling bins that go straight to trash pickup to faking national statistics.

      "The United States was one of only five countries, along with Somalia, Afghanistan, Georgia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where healthy life expectancy at birth fell in 2016" They must be really good at it to manipulate the US official figures....

    2. Re:lies by tttonyyy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      China is also very well known for lying about things and faking stats to appear better than everyone else. It goes all the way from the local level with fake recycling bins that go straight to trash pickup to faking national statistics.

      It's easier to focus on that reassurance rather than the decline in U.S. healthy life expectancy since 2014.

      https://www.scientificamerican...

      "These experiments show that when people's beliefs are threatened, they often take flight to a land where facts do not matter."

      Sadly, this may be a case of just having to accept some unpalatable news.

      What would be interesting is the "why?" which sadly the article is a little thin on. Perhaps there will be more analysis to follow.

      --
      biopowered.co.uk - catalytically cracking triglycerides for home automotive use since 2008. Just say no to big oil!
    3. Re:lies by Sique · · Score: 5, Informative
      They don't look into factors at all. This is just looking at death rates for each age cohort and then summing up the probability for each age cohort to die within the next year. This is purely statistics.

      And you can do the same thing with chronic illnesses. You just get the number of chronic illnesses in each age cohort and then calculate the probability to catch a chronic illness within the next year.

      If you sum up each age cohort from 0 to the maximum age, you get two probabilities: First, the probable life span of a newborn, and second the probable lifespan without chronic illnesses for a newborn.

      This statistic does not make any statements about the reasons why the life expectancy and the healthy life span expectancy is as high as it is. It just reports a number.

      --
      .sig: Sique *sigh*
  2. USA #1 by Peter+P+Peters · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "The United States came 40th in the global rankings"
    How does this sit with the USA #1 crowd? I like to read those OECD comparison charts and it seems the US has been continually falling over the last few decades across every type of political leadership. Can this be fixed?

    1. Re:USA #1 by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 4, Interesting

      How does this sit with the USA #1 crowd?

      We are still #1 in watching TV! Eight hours a day for every average household! So it doesn't matter if we die earlier . . . we will still be #1 in total hours of TV watched in our lifetimes! China can't compete with our TV viewing . . . they are too busy doing healthy things, like riding their bikes to work, and doing Tai Chi outside in the park in the fresh air at the crack of dawn.

      Whoever has watched the most TV in their lifetime when they die . . . wins!

      USA! Watch TV! USA! Watch TV!

      I like to read those OECD comparison charts and it seems the US has been continually falling over the last few decades across every type of political leadership. Can this be fixed?

      The correct question is:

      Could this be fixed?

      The Clinton Political-Military-Industrial-Complex-Machine still has too much influence in the Democratic Party. The Democrats need to purge all those Clinton Loyalists still in party leadership positions. Hillary will try to get Chelsea a free ride into the Senate, with her own trick:

      Pick a heavily Democratic state where a Senator is about to die or retire. Chelsea moves there and professes that she was always a loyal resident of that state. When the Democrat Senator dies or retires, run Chelsea in the primary. Use the Clinton Political-Military-Industrial-Complex-Machine to Whack-A-Mole any other Democratic challengers.

      The Democrats can not let that happen . . . it will lead to further Clinton stagnation in the party. They desperately need fresh blood and new ideas.

      Oh, and get rid of those "Super Delegates" . . . even the name is offensive:

      "You are just a delegate. But I am a super delegate" The whole thing is elitist and undemocratic.

      For the Republican Party, the process is easier. Ask every Republican leader if they honestly like Ajit Pai. Get rid of every one who answers "Yes". This shows that they care more about the interests of Big Business, and not about the interests of Little People.

      The Republicans need to carefully cultivate some young potential presidential candidates who and appeal to younger voters, while still holding dear to values that the older Republican voters' ideals.

      So to get back to your original question:

      Can this be fixed?

      . . . the answer is, Yes, it could be fixed, but No, it probably won't be fixed.

      --
      Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
  3. The hard truth by burtosis · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Maybe, just maybe, for profit capitalistic health care isn't working. Americans pay double for worse outcomes than socialized systems. Many can't afford it, and the insurance middle men take in 800 billion a year with 100 billion in unnecessary salaries, expenses, and profits. The system rewards treatments for conditions and not cures or prevention. This is the biggest reason why the US is so far behind Slovenia, and why it will never be #1.

  4. Re:Trump's fault obviously by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    You are out of touch with reality. The Dow shot up from 19,827.3 to 25,075.1 -- an increase of *26 percent* the day of (or day after) Trump's inauguration.

    No, it didn't. It took TWO YEARS for the Dow to go up from 19,827 to 25,075. It took from the day before Trump's inauguration day to the second anniversary of his inauguration day. As you say, it was a rise of 26 percent.

    Did you know that over the exact corresponding period of time, from the day before his inauguration to the second anniversary of his inauguration, Under Obama the Dow went up 33 PERCENT? In fact, if you check the Dow on March 9, 2009 at the very depth of the Great Recession, you will notice that by the second anniversary of Obama's term the Dow rose an astonishing 61 percent.

    The Dow now resides in record territory

    No, it does not. It's well over 1000 points off its high. Also, did you know that the Dow resided in "record territory" for the entire second term of Barack Obama's presidency?

    [Note: I am figuring out where the Trump supporters are getting this myth that the the Dow rose 26% in two days after Trump's inauguration. It is from a misreading of the big, wet baby's own tweet. The only problem is, in Trumpistan they get every single fact wrong, including the day the tweet was issued. see below]

    https://twitter.com/realDonald...

    And here, you can look at the Dow history yourself to check for yourself.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.
  5. Re:US capitalism by PopeRatzo · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is really needed is a free market, something capitalists hate and work against as it is not profitable.

    There is no such thing as a "free market", especially when it comes to health care.

    If a doctor tells you you're going to need heart surgery, or your kid needs cancer treatment, you're not going to shop around for the best price. If lung is punctured in a car accident and you're bleeding internally, you're not going to shop for the least expensive alternative to an ambulance to take you to the hospital.

    There is no free market alternative for health care.

    --
    You are welcome on my lawn.