Why is life expectancy in the US lower than in other rich countries?

Due to work, I spent:

- 3 months in Japan - 3 Months in Germany - 3 months in the US - 3 months in India

The transition was alarming. I see bits of both Germany and India in the US. Unfortunately (having grown up in America) I see the trend as towards India. I don't mean this as a cultural slight, but as a cultural observation. I've seen high-trust vs low-trust societies brought up many times on HN. Traffic was most pronounced. In Germany, they obeyed the rules to the extent they wouldn't J-walk even if there was no traffic. In America, you'd look both ways then cross. In India might makes right, big cars get the right of way, pedestrians have to be aggressive and just make their way, eyeballing cars down with a death stare of determination.

Anyway all this is to say, it seems like there are two types of wealth:

- In India, you can found a startup, make money, buy a Ferrari, but that would be a terrible move because if you drive it anywhere on public roads you will go max 30kph, and it will get destroyed on the roads - In Germany, you can have a modest Skoda and still hit 200 kph on their impeccable freeways with confidence that the person in the right lane will never, ever change lanes without a signal and mirror check

So, my personal take, and I realize that this is highly reductionist, but I hope, relevant is that there are two types of wealth:

1. a type where society is wealthy, and that translates into well being for the individual and the whole 2. a type where wealth is relative, and the wealthy take joy not in having an absolute sense of wealth (as in compared to a German), but as in "my neighbor lives in a shack and I live in a gated tower high rise"

I fear America is at a cross roads and will make a choice that makes us poor in a global sense.

That doesn't hold up. A lot of the countries compared aren't that ethnically homogeneous either. In fact, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and Sweden all have a higher ratio of migrants per 100k population than the US...

Having a look at how people with various ethnic background fare is interesting and can be essential to optimise the effectiveness of health policies by targetting the right groups.

However, they are still all US Citizen, there is nothing misleading about the article or their analysis unless you want them to start splitting the stats by 'race', which would be a strange starting point (why would ethnic background be a better way to group people than socio-economic brackets anyway?).

Just like @TuringNYC,I spent the early part of my life in the lower half of socio-economic ladder. With a bit of luck (and yes, work), I extracted myself from this group. I'm not rich, but I have zero debt. I own a house, multiple vehicles, and an 4 season expedition camper - free and clear. I have a rewarding and unusual career.

By contrast, the entirety of my close and extended family lives in poverty. Bankruptcy, car repos, eviction, and mortgage default are almost a game. MY father died at the age of 40. My grandfather: 36. My brother died at 42 (after a lethal encounter with police after speeding).

I'm 56 (The oldest of any male in two generations). I have multiple retirement accounts. First class healthcare. I take care of my Mom. I can't predict the future, but I suspect my economic success will allow me a longer, more fulfilling life.

I'm convinced that access to healthcare, decent work, and basic housing would have allowed my short lived male family members to live longer with a better quality of life.