Dr. Philp McMillan,  John McMillan

A sobering new study reveals that the United States is facing a decades-long health emergency that extends far beyond COVID-19, with devastating consequences for American families and communities.

The Staggering Numbers

Research published in JAMA Health Forum shows that more than 1.5 million deaths could have been prevented in 2022 and 2023 alone if the U.S. had mortality rates comparable to other wealthy nations. These preventable deaths (termed “missing Americans” by researchers) represent people who would still be alive today if our health outcomes matched those of countries like Canada, Australia, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

The crisis isn’t new. Since 1980, approximately 14.7 million excess deaths have occurred in America compared to our international peers. In 2023, nearly one in four U.S. deaths was considered preventable based on global standards.

A Crisis Hiding in Plain Sight

While COVID-19 temporarily worsened the situation, with excess deaths peaking at over 1 million in 2021, the underlying problem predates the pandemic by decades. Even as pandemic deaths declined, excess mortality in 2023 (705,331 deaths) remained significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels and followed the same troubling upward trajectory.

“The US has been in a protracted health crisis for decades, with health outcomes far worse than other high-income countries,” explains Dr. Jacob Bor, the study’s lead author and associate professor at the School of Public Health. “This longer-run tragedy continued to unfold in the shadows of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Young Americans Bear the Heaviest Burden

Perhaps most alarming is the impact on younger Americans. The study found that 46% of all U.S. deaths among people under 65 would not have occurred if America had the same age-specific death rates as peer nations.

“Imagine the lives saved, the grief and trauma averted, if the US simply performed at the average of our peers,” Bor emphasizes. “One out of every 2 US deaths under 65 years is likely avoidable. Our failure to address this is a national scandal.”

The Root Causes

The excess deaths stem from long-standing crises that require urgent attention:

– Drug overdoses
– Gun violence
– Traffic fatalities
– Preventable heart disease and diabetes complications

“These deaths reflect not individual choices, but policy neglect and deep-rooted social and health system failures,” notes Dr. Andrew Stokes, the study’s senior author.

Learning from Success Stories

Other wealthy nations demonstrate that better outcomes are achievable through proven strategies:

– Universal healthcare systems
– Robust social safety nets
– Evidence-based public health policies
– Investment in preventive care

However, researchers warn that political polarization and public distrust of government make implementing these successful models increasingly challenging in the United States.

The Path Forward

The study’s authors stress that addressing this crisis requires recognizing it as a national emergency deserving immediate action. With proper policy interventions and sustained commitment to public health, hundreds of thousands of American lives could be saved each year.

As the research makes clear, these aren’t just statistics. They represent families torn apart, communities devastated, and a nation failing to protect its most precious resource: human life.

*The comprehensive study analyzed over 107 million U.S. deaths and 230 million deaths across 21 other high-income countries, providing the most detailed picture yet of America’s mortality crisis.*