United States Is “Far from the Healthiest” Among Nations of World

Observing that “the United States is among the wealthiest nations in the world,” a report issued by    the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine observes that “it is far from the healthiest.”   In “Shorter Lives, Poorer Health,” a panel found that despite spending more on healthcare, Americans die sooner and experience more illness than people in other high-income countries.  The Report warns that for decades, the US has had the highest obesity rate among high-income countries. Further, it finds that from age 20 onward, US adults have among the highest prevalence of diabetes among peer countries.  Importantly, the panel found that “Americans who do reach age 50 generally arrive at this age in poorer health than their counterparts in other high-income countries, and as older adults they face greater morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases that arise from risk factors that are often established earlier in life."