Why Does the United States Rank 37th in the World for Life Expectancy?

"The United States healthcare system ranks 37th in the world."

Have you heard that statistic bandied about in the heated debate over whether the U.S. needs socialized medicine to “fix” the healthcare system? Do you believe it? Or do you, like me, look around and notice that people of our generation seem to be living longer than our parents?

Where’s the disconnect? Are the people quoting this abysmal statistic incorrect? Are they lying? No; it’s the statistic that is misleading many.

On another subject last year, I wrote "statistics can and sometimes do lead to incorrect conclusions." As Mark Twain observed, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics." Deliberate falsification aside, the more usual way that statistics can lead to faulty conclusions is in their interpretation.

This is yet another instance of flawed interpretation of statistical data. The U.S. life expectancy ranking comes from data compiled by the OECD (Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development).

In its 2008 Economic Survey of the United States, OECD economists concluded, "The United States ranks poorly in terms of life expectancy at birth, infant mortality and 'amenable mortality' (i.e. mortality that can be averted by good health care)."

Please note two things about the OECD data:

1. The spread in life expectancy between the top and bottom ranking countries is less than five years; and

2. The largest contributing factor to lower life expectancy in the U.S. is at the youngest end of the spectrum.

Please come back tomorrow for more on Why the U.S. Healthcare System Ranks 37th in the World .

Tags: life expectancy, interpreting statistics, life expectancy at birth, increasing U.S. life expectancy, fixing healthcare , throw the baby out with the bath water, high infant mortality, skewed healthcare statistic