Deaths of despair

Today, we rank 50th in life expectancy globally and have increasingly diverged from our “high-income” country (HIC) peers. By any measure, we spend more on healthcare than any other wealthy nation.

The underlying explanation is that deaths of despair signal the end of hope to those Americans who have seen their jobs, homes, and futures vanish due to the forces of globalization and capitalism's hunger for growth at lower and lower costs.

This one graphic makes a convincing argument that something is amiss here at home. Values greater than one indicate an increasing probability of dying compared to the 16 “control” nations.