People Live Longer In Blue States Than Red; New Study Points To Impact Of State policies

[appalachiablue]

Source: Los Angeles Times

By Noam N. Levey, 7 hrs ago.

Weak environmental protections, safety rules and labor and civil rights protections may be cutting lives short in conservative states and deepening the divide between red and blue states, according to a new study on links between life expectancy and state policy.

The report, published Tuesday in the health policy journal Milbank Quarterly, finds that states where residents live longest, including California, tend to have much more stringent environmental laws, tougher tobacco and firearms regulations and more protections for workers, minorities and LGBTQ residents.

Since the mid-1980s, the gap among U.S. states in how long their residents live has widened, reversing decades of progress toward greater equality. One group of states, mostly in the Northeast and the West, have seen average life expectancies rise relatively steadily, placing them on par with the wealthiest nations of Western Europe. Those states tend to have more stringent regulations.

By contrast, the life expectancy in states with more conservative health, labor and social policies — concentrated in the South and Appalachia — have stagnated in recent decades, according to the study, which adds to growing research on health and political disparities between states. - Read More...

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/people-live-longer-in-blue-states-than-red-new-study-points-to-impact-of-state-policies/ar-BB17xfGT

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In the U.S., California is among the highest average life expectancies at 81.3 years. In 2014, the state also had the most liberal policies in the country, the most recent year the study analyzed.

Authors of the study note that they can't prove that state policies caused the gap in life expectancy, but the correlation is a persistent one across many states and several decades.

The gap is not only about policy: States where people live longer tend to be wealthier and have better educated populations, for example.

[IronLionZion]

1. And better COVID policies

I'm sure access to Obamacare deepened the divide too. People with health insurance probably live longer than those who believe it's a socialist plot to ruin their lives.

[Turbineguy]

2. That's right.

The longer you live, the longer socialism has to ruin your life.

[ProudMNDemocrat]

3. Could it be that we pay higher taxes so we can have nicer things?

Paved Roads
Services that serve the people
Better Schools
Better Health Care
More Educated people
Better jobs
Better Quality of life

[NCjack]

11. Yes. And, the path way to those is through science.

"Of all the great inventions and discoveries that go to make human life easier, happier, more rich and glorious, not one can be laid to the work of theology. These triumphs all belong to science.... If man had no knowledge except what he was got out of the Bible he would not know enough to make a shoe." -Lemuel K. Washburn

[demosincebirth]

13. Better pay? Thanks to the influence of unions.

[NCjack]

4. We are dependent on our governor and legislature to protect our health.

Trump has no plans to save any lives, and even worse, he tries to remove federal protections that now in place.

MAGAts are responsible for this mess. Remind them at every opportunity.

[StClone]

5. So good big Gov. IS GOOD!

[sandensea]

6. Deep South state life expectancies of 75, put it on par with the better-off Latin American countries

Where they spend one fifth to one tenth as much per capita on health.

[caraher]

7. Original study is open access

Available at this link: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-0009.12469

[Roc2020]

8. of course. better healthcare.

simple really.

[bringthePaine]

9. red-beat states continually drain fed coffers while bitching about taxes - stupid and lazy red-heads

[Historic NY]

10. Its true......

I lost my twin because he had this idea to go to Florida and fish...he had an AFib, had a cardiac defibrillator pacemaker installed. But he insisted he went off to Florida, in 8 mons. he died suddenly. I question his care there vs the group of Dr's he had here in NY. They might have been nice but its the time given the patients they see. I had and Aunt and her mother move from Florida to Miss. my cousin was misdiagnosed with other problems when she actually had bone cancer.

[TomCADem]

12. Bob Dylan Breaks It Down How Racism Helps Oppress White People...

...as well as minorities.