Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness

U.S. Newborn-Survival Rate Ranks
Near Last in Industrialized Nations
Associated Press
May 9, 2006 11:03 a.m.

CHICAGO -- Despite its superpower status, the U.S. survival rate for newborn babies ranks near the bottom among 33 industrialized countries, better only than Latvia.

The U.S. is tied with Hungary, Malta, Poland and Slovakia with a death rate of nearly five per 1,000 babies, according to a new report. Latvia's rate is six per 1,000.

"We are the wealthiest country in the world, but there are still pockets of our population who are not getting the health care they need," said Mary Beth Powers, a reproductive health adviser for the U.S.-based Save the Children, which compiled the rankings based on health data from countries and agencies world-wide.

The U.S. ranking is driven partly by racial and income disparities. Among U.S. blacks, there are nine deaths per 1,000 live births, closer to rates in developing nations than to those in the industrialized world.

"Every time I see these kinds of statistics, I'm always amazed to see where the United States is because we are a country that prides itself on having such advanced medical care and developing new technology ... and new approaches to treating illness. But at the same time not everybody has access to those new technologies," said Dr. Mark Schuster, a Rand Co. researcher and pediatrician at the University of California, Los Angeles.

British health sturdier than Americans'
Study finds curious inequity: All things being equal, Yanks fall apart much faster

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO

White, middle-aged Americans - even those who are rich - are far less healthy than their peers in England, according to stunning new research that erases misconceptions and has experts scratching their heads.

Americans had higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, strokes, lung disease and cancer - findings that held true no matter what income or education level.

Those dismal results are despite the fact that U.S. spending on health care is double what England spends per citizen.

"Everybody should be discussing it: Why isn't the richest country in the world the healthiest country in the world?" asks Dr. Michael Marmot, a co-author of the study and an epidemiologist at University College London in England.

The study, based on government statistics in both countries, adds context to the already-known fact that the United States spends more on health care than any other industrialized nation, yet trails in rankings of life expectancy.

The United States spends about $5,200 a person on health care. England spends about half that in adjusted dollars.

Aren't you glad to know that you are spending more for higher infant mortality and and worse health? When are Americans going to wake up to the fact that our system is completely broken?