HEALTH: Gap Between Rich & Poor Americans Health Widening In Last 25 Yrs, Study 1993-2017

[appalachiablue]

Last edited Sat Jun 29, 2019, 11:18 PM - Edit history (2)

NPR, 6/28/19. Income Inequality in the U.S. Has Grown Over the Past Several Decades. And as the gap between rich and poor yawns, so does the gap in their health, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open Friday. EXCERPTS:

The study drew from annual health survey data collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from 1993 to 2017, including around 5.5 million Americans ages 18-64. The researchers focused on two questions from the survey recommended by the CDC as reliable indicators of health: 1. Over the last 30 days, how many healthy days have you had? 2. On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate your overall health?

What they found: Across all groups, Americans' self-reported health has declined since 1993. And race, gender and income play a bigger role in predicting health outcomes now than they did in 1993. Overall, white men in the highest income bracket were the healthiest group.

"And actually, what's happening to the health of wealthier people is that it's remaining relatively stagnant, but the health of the lowest income group is declining substantially over time," says Frederick Zimmerman, the study's lead author and a professor at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. The researchers looked at differences in health between white and black people and between three income brackets. They assessed the degree to which race, income and gender influenced health outcomes over time, a measure they called "health justice." Finally, they calculated the gap between people's health outcomes and that of the most privileged demographic: high-income white men.

"Results of this analysis suggest that there has been a clear lack of progress on health equity during the past 25 years in the United States," the researchers write. Income was the biggest predictor of differences in health outcomes, according to Zimmerman. Health differences between the highest income group and lowest income group increased "really quite dramatically," he says.

Research shows that health care accounts for only 10% to 20% of overall health outcomes. Social determinants, or our living conditions and the factors driving them, account for the rest. ..But, Ramirez-Valles says, the study does a good job of showing that when it comes to health outcomes, "it's not always [immediately] about health." He says the study's findings indicate a need for two broad policy recommendations: a revision of the minimum wage and a rethinking of our current taxation system.
"Income inequality is at the bottom of this," he says. "We need to target and attack [it] aggressively. Not only in this country, but worldwide."...

Read More, https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/06/28/736938334/the-gap-between-rich-and-poor-americans-health-is-widening

[BigmanPigman]

1. I doubt this surprises anyone in the US.

The suicide rate has increased 33% since 2000 too. The future in this country is great...for the 1%.

[OldBaldy1701E]

2. Until you remove the 'profit' part from the equation,

nothing is going to change and the disparity will just get worse. 'For profit' health care has all but ruined our collective health, mainly because the powers that be will argue and turn down any other idea BUT 'for profit' healthcare... mainly because there is no other alternative to healthcare.... except just calling it quits... and you can't do that either, since they will kick in your door and arrest you for daring to consider removing a wage slave, or potential income, from the population, regardless of how much pain a person is suffering. Typical 'facist state' stuff, really, but what else can we do?

[area51]

3. Not surprising, given that healthcare in this country is considered a luxury.

We need comprehensive Medicare for All.