America’s Death Trap
Why the life-expectancy rate in the United States is falling behind that in other rich countries
Compared with its wealthy peer nations, the United States is failing the most basic test of a civilization: keeping its denizens alive. As my colleague Derek Thompson wrote last week, U.S. life spans are shorter on average than in much of Europe, Japan, South Korea, and Australia. I called Derek to discuss why the nation’s life-expectancy rate is falling behind, and what can be done about it.
First, here are three new stories from The Atlantic:
- The most telling moments from the Trump-Carroll depositions
- Joe Biden’s not popular. That might not matter in 2024.
- I ruined two birthday parties and learned the limits of psychology.
The Mortality Tax
In your latest article, you repeat a turn of phrase that you used in, calling the U.S. a “rich death trap.” The part is pretty self-explanatory, but unpack the rest of it.
