https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/covid-19-cuts-u-s-life-expectancy-year-first-half-n1258219?cid=ed_npd_bn_tw_bnQuote:
By Adela Suliman and The Associated Press
Life expectancy in the United States fell by an entire year in the first half of 2020 as Covid-19 swept through the country, health data published Thursday found, a decline not seen since World War II.
Racial minorities suffered the biggest impact from January through June 2020, with Black Americans losing nearly three years and Hispanics losingnearly two years, according to preliminary estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"This is a huge decline," said Robert Anderson, who oversees the data for the CDC. "You have to go back to World War II, the 1940s, to find a decline like this."
Life expectancy is how long a baby born today can expect to live, on average, if death rates remain the same.
Provisional life expectancy in the first half of 2020 was at its lowest level since 2006, the CDC data found.
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Life expectancy in the United States fell by an entire year in the first half of 2020
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Last: 4 yr ago by culdeus
I'm not sure if this is just poorly worded, or intentionally misleading.PJYoung said:Quote:
Life expectancy is how long a baby born today can expect to live, on average, if death rates remain the same.
So, life expectancy has declined by 1 year for babies born today, assuming the death rates don't change--i.e. we don't have a vaccine, don't get better at treating COVID-19, etc. I'm sure you could have made a similar statement in the 90s during the AIDS pandemic....
Yeah my buddy went on a huge rant about how the life expectancy stat is basically meaningless because of that very reason.
I think if there's a problem with that article it's that they are talking about it halfway through the year instead of waiting for the data to settle more.
I think if there's a problem with that article it's that they are talking about it halfway through the year instead of waiting for the data to settle more.
The article overall has some interesting information, and some very valid points (minorities are harder hit by COVID, part of the higher death rate is due to drug overdoses). Also, I didn't realize Hispanics in the US have the longest life spans.
However, to me the headline and first paragraph undermines an otherwise useful article. Basing life expectancy numbers off of data taken in the first half of 2020 seems analogous to taking temperature data from the last week in Texas and declaring that the projected average Feb temperature for every year going forward will be 15 degrees in the lone star state. You can't project long term trends based on an obviously outlying data point.
However, to me the headline and first paragraph undermines an otherwise useful article. Basing life expectancy numbers off of data taken in the first half of 2020 seems analogous to taking temperature data from the last week in Texas and declaring that the projected average Feb temperature for every year going forward will be 15 degrees in the lone star state. You can't project long term trends based on an obviously outlying data point.
Life expectancy is a weird lagging statistic. Current average age of death would be more useful.
My great grandmother was born in 1901, when life expectancy was 49 years. By the time she died 94 years later life expectancy was 80. BUT in 1990 an 85 year old had a life expectancy of 7 more years.
Also interesting is that the huge racial disparities in life expectancy basically disappear once you make it to age 65.
My great grandmother was born in 1901, when life expectancy was 49 years. By the time she died 94 years later life expectancy was 80. BUT in 1990 an 85 year old had a life expectancy of 7 more years.
Also interesting is that the huge racial disparities in life expectancy basically disappear once you make it to age 65.
BS
Life expectancy is a meaningless stat for an individual person. Take out murders, suicides, drug ODs, etc and the life expectancy goes up quite a bit. I think I read once that the life expectancy of people over 50 is in the mid to high 80s.
I've been saying for years that life expectancy will be going down due to my generations and the ones behind having such sedentary jobs. We are also the generation raised with a working mom and fast food / cokes every week. You just can't have the waist lines we do and not shorten the life span a little.
The kids born today are going to grow up with legal weed. They will have zero motivation + the munchies to shorten their lives.
The kids born today are going to grow up with legal weed. They will have zero motivation + the munchies to shorten their lives.
Or they might be relaxed enough to not have a heart attack at 42 years old.
Guy I know in the life insurance business told me that policy pay outs have not been impacted much at all by covid. That was shocking to me.
I'd be willing to bet good money that the majority of Covid deaths are from the poor who are more like to be morbidly obese, more likely to wait too long to go to the hospital, and less likely to get quality treatment when they do go.harge57 said:
Guy I know in the life insurance business told me that policy pay outs have not been impacted much at all by covid. That was shocking to me.
It's hit the olds the hardest, most of whom don't have life insurance or have a small amount to cover a funeral. Would be hard to stay in business if old people dying led to massive payouts.
harge57 said:
Guy I know in the life insurance business told me that policy pay outs have not been impacted much at all by covid. That was shocking to me.
Term life vs full life is important here. Lots of boomers bought into full life policies in the 80s which ended up funding ton of new yorker hampton estates.
Any boomers dying this year on full life policies probably actually resulted in champagne popping. The flip on the interest rate on those may have been dragging them a bit.
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