If you want to live a long life, don’t come to America. According to the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), the average lifespan of people in the United States is only 78.7 years, putting us at number 26 among the OECD’s 34 member nations. But thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the research shows there is hope for Americans in the future.
The Wall St. Journal recently looked at the new OECD study, and counted down the top five countries.
- #5: Spain — Life expectancy of 82.4 years, even with a low gross domestic product of only $33,000 per capita
- #4: Iceland — Life expectancy is also 82.4 years, and Iceland is third lowest in smoking rates and last in diabetes
- #3: Japan — Life expectancy is 82.7 years, thanks to very low rates of heart disease and obesity
- #2: Italy — Life expectancy is also 82.7 years, yet Italians spend only $3,000 per capita on health care
- #1: Switzerland — Life expectancy of 82.8 years, but third highest in spending on health care (you already know who spends the most). Switzerland is the only country on the list that does not provide single-payer, universal access to health care. Instead, it uses a system very like the Affordable Care Act that requires citizens to buy a health plan. Doh!
Connect:
