U.S. Lags in the Life Expectancy of Healthy People

When compared with other urbanized countries, the U.S. falls behind in several of the general areas used to determine healthiness, including average life expectancy of healthy people and infant death rate. The United States ranks 28th amongst the countries, with the life expectancy of healthy people being that of 69 years. Japan comes in first place with an average of 75 years. A few differences in healthy life expectancy can be credited to the nation's incapacity to successfully treat disease, especially those that are agreeable to care or curable.

Among eighteen other modern countries studied, the U.S. ranked last in fatality from treatable diseases before age 75. In the last 5 years, the U.S. has dipped 4 spots behind Finland, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, who have all reduced their death rate from treatable diseases more quickly.