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Title: Avoidable Deaths Decrease in High-Income Nations While They Increase in the United States
A stark contrast has emerged between the mortality trends of high-income countries and the United States, as a recent study reveals that avoidable deaths have been on the rise in the latter while decreasing elsewhere.
Researchers from Brown University School of Public Health and Harvard University analyzed mortality data across all 50 U.S. states and 40 comparable nations to uncover this disturbing disparity. According to their findings, avoidable mortality worsened between 2009 and 2021 in the United States, with the exception of a brief period during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study highlights unresolved issues within the American healthcare system that may be contributing to worsening health outcomes. These include rising road traffic fatalities since the early 2010s, continued high levels of gun deaths and illicit drug overdoses, as well as higher rates of suicide, maternal and infant mortality, and preventable illnesses like cervical cancer and ischemic heart disease.
In stark contrast, similar avoidable deaths have been decreasing in most high-income countries during this same time frame. The study found that these nations saw an average reduction of 14 fewer avoidable deaths per 100,000 population between 2009 and 2021. This trend is even more pronounced within the European Union, where the decrease was a staggering almost 24 fewer deaths per 100,000.
The research raises questions about the effectiveness of U.S. healthcare spending, as it has been previously noted that the country allocates significantly more funds to healthcare than any other high-income nation. Instead, this disparity may be attributed to how those funds are being utilized. In essence, the issue is not just a matter of dollars spent on healthcare.
Professor Irene Papanicolas, lead study author, emphasized that the growing trend of avoidable deaths in the U.S. cannot be solely attributed to any one factor such as drug-related deaths or suicides. Rather, deaths from nearly all major categories are increasing, underscoring the need for a comprehensive approach to address this issue.
The Trump administration’s focus on promoting healthy habits and limiting exposure to potentially harmful substances may not adequately address the myriad factors contributing to avoidable deaths in the U.S. Furthermore, the elimination of certain programs aimed at addressing these issues, such as funding for naloxone distribution, could exacerbate the problem.
In light of these findings, policymakers must confront the reality that certain preventable causes of death are on the rise while simultaneously exploring ways to reverse this trend.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshuacohen/2025/05/01/avoidable-deaths-decrease-in-high-income-nations-while-they-increase-in-us/
