Richest Americans have lower life expectancy than poorest Europeans

Economic capacity is linked to health and life expectancy, with people who have higher purchasing power generally living longer. However, a new study shows that this trend differs significantly when comparing the US and Europe with each other as a whole. The study by the US Brown School of Public Health followed 73,000 Americans and Europeans aged 50 to 85 since 2010 to examine the impact of wealth on mortality and were baffled by the alarming results.

The study confirmed that, as expected, wealthier individuals live longer, however the gap between the rich and poor was much wider in the US than in Europe. The Futurity publication reported on the state, which showed that mortality rates were higher across all income levels in the US in comparison to their European counterparts, with the wealthiest Americans having a lower life expectancy than the wealthiest Europeans. The shocking aspect, however, was that the life expectancy of the richest Americans were often lower when compared to even the poorest quartile of the population in several European countries like Germany, France, and the Netherlands.

Sara Machado, a co-author of the study, rang the alarm bells by urging the US to improve its national health by learning from other countries' systems, highlighting that it’s not about spending more but addressing overlooked factors. European mortality rates were consistently 40% lower than in the US, with Southern Europe showing a 30% lower mortality rate and Eastern Europe showing 13-20% lower rates.

These findings contribute to the understanding of the recent decline in life expectancy in the US, despite its significant medical and scientific advancements. While factors like education, smoking, and marriage are more concentrated among wealthy Americans, these factors are more evenly distributed in Europe, which may explain why Europeans have a health advantage.

The study also suggests that Europe's more generous social safety net may reduce the impact of wealth on health, offering more protection to those with fewer resources. In the US, however, economic inequality, stress, poor nutrition, and environmental risks are worsening health, even for the wealthy.

Miguel Ángel Martínez Beneito, lead author of Spain’s National Mortality Atlas, emphasized the striking findings of the US’s higher mortality rates across all economic groups. “This means that this excess mortality goes beyond economic issues, because it seems that there are very wealthy people who do not have access to a healthcare system as comprehensive as Europe’s, or who are exposed to higher cumulative risk factors than Europeans,” he points out. “Now we must open lines of research to determine what factors explain the data, and how to improve access to a healthier life for all of American society.”

By Nazrin Sadigova