Americans are among the least healthy people in the rich world, and among the most likely to die early according to a case made by Nicklas Kristoff in his recent New York Times Opinion piece. It’s true, life expectancy in the United States lags other industrialized nations and the gap seems to be widening. Kristoff offers a schematic comparing individual states with other nations. Missourians live shorter lives on average that residents in 38 states and its life expectancy ranks right above Iran and Morocco. Hawaiians enjoy the longest life expectancy in the U.S. yet, their lifespans still trail those of people in Japan, Australia, South Korea, Spain, Italy, Canada, France, and Taiwan.

The current U.S. average life span is just 76.4 years. Americans have been dying younger for some time, and while the COVID pandemic has factored into recent declines, it is not the only catalyst. Increases in drug overdoses, accidental injury, chronic disease, and suicide rates all contribute to the decline in the U.S. More alarming is that a person’s average “healthspan,” or healthy years not impacted by chronic disease, is only 66.1 years on average for the U.S. population. This ten-year gap between lifespan and healthspan is typically comprised of poor health, resulting in a lower quality of life. Increasingly experts agree that the problem is with the structure of our health system.

Michelle Williams, Dean of the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, finds it shocking that young people in America die at higher rates than their counterparts in other high-income countries, and that the U.S. also has the highest maternal and infant mortality rates among these countries. Her colleague, Dr. Asaf Briton, an internationally recognized health care leader and researcher, notes that while the U.S. has a very good sick care system - its health care system is inadequate in keeping people healthy.

Arianna Huffington agrees in her must read article, Behavior is a Miracle Drug for Our Health. She marvels at new technologies like gene therapy, immunotherapy and neural technology while pointing out the tragedy of modern health care in failing to recognize the miracle drug right in front of us: our behaviors.

BHC’s Board leaders came to a similar conclusion during their August BHC planning session. Employers have an opportunity to define and promote their vision of population health. Promoting healthy lifestyles to prevent disease isn’t just something that employers offer at the worksite. It is what they expect to be the foundation of conversations between patients and their providers and central to therapeutic treatment plans, overseen by health care providers. As the United States population continues to suffer at the hands of a broken medical system, taking charge of what we as employers and individuals can control may be the cure we desperately need.

If you agree it’s time to address this missing piece, please join us for the BHC annual business luncheon for members, October 25^th at the Ritz Carlton. BHC board leaders will be there to share points from BHC’s new strategic plan and begin a discussion on ways to instill employers’ definition of population health into the U.S. health care delivery system. Register for lunch here.

Warm regards,

Louise Y. Probst
BHC Executive Director