Health Care

 Yglesias takes on why US health outcomes are generally bad, despite being a wealthy country with excellent doctors. There are a couple of problems with simply looking at life expectancy, which is that it doesn't explain WHY American outcomes are lower and it seems to be pretty much two reasons.

One is clearly the unavailability of health insurance to many of the poor. This manifests mostly in people not accessing regular medical check-ups and care.

The second is basically mental health. Yglesias focuses on land use driving more people to drive further, which leads to more automobile deaths. If you die at 30 in a car accident, that really doesn't say much about our health care delivery. Same goes with being murdered or committing suicide. But it does have a major impact on overall life expectancy. Most especially, overdose death tend to effect those that are younger.

When someone in their 20s is murdered or commits suicide or overdoses, that has a measurable impact on life expectancy.

Then there is obesity. Americans are overweight and usually have high levels of bad body fat. Why? Because eating shitty foods make us feel good. When I'm bummed out, I'm much more likely to drink alcohol - itself a source of bad calories distinct from the drug effects - and eat crappy foods. Sure, "food desserts" contribute to this, but the hectic pace of American life - which helps make us richer - also prioritizes picking up "bad" food that it quick and easy.

There is little doubt to me that America is having a broad mental health crisis that precedes the Covid pandemic. What's more, mental health is almost never covered by health insurance. I have no solutions, but I would guess that improving the overall happiness of Americans would go a long way to extending their lives.