U.S. life expectancy starts to recover after sharp pandemic decline
NPR Online NewsDec 07, 2023
The Facts
A new report released by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday showed that US life expectancy rose to 77.5 years in 2022, up by 1.1% from the year prior, with the expectancy at birth for men rising from 73.5 in 2021 to 74.8 in 2022 and for women jumping by 0.9 to an average of 80.2 years.
While the rate did jump significantly from the pandemic years, 2022's life expectancy was about the same as the rate recorded 20 years ago. After having risen a little bit almost every year for decades, the nation's life expectancy began to flatten about 10 years ago and even decline in certain years. During the pandemic, it dropped from 78.79 in 2019 to 76.4 in 2021.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The US had a bad life expectancy before the pandemic, saw a terrible one during the pandemic, and is now back to a bad one again. Thanks to decades of failed US government policy, Americans are drowning in processed food, overworked by their employers, and can't afford healthcare. These are the reasons Americans can't live as long as their European peers.
Pro-establishment narrative
The US has a long way to go to catch up to other developed countries, but the fact that life expectancy has gone up is a very good thing. Another cause for optimism is that the US has both the data and resources to tackle this problem, so all its institutions have to do now is harness that power and aim it toward a comprehensive national goal.