Problem Battery

I asked my father recently if he and my mother would consider visiting America for a month sometime next year. The question was met with silence followed by deflection to other topics. For them the sheen wore out a long time ago. They see this country as problematic in a myriad of ways, most of which they don't understand. India has its battery of problems but its the devil they know. Medical emergencies at their age is of course their top of mind concern, so my question might have sounded a bit naive to him. He might b partly right about illness and death in America. 

Every year, around 3 million Americans die. Compared to other wealthy countries, the U.S. is far deadlier. About a quarter of those deaths wouldn’t happen if America’s death rates matched its peers. For people under 65, and almost half of deaths are “extra” compared to other rich countries. For early adults (ages 25 to 44) 62% of deaths are preventable by that same comparison. That’s nearly two out of three people dying too soon and possibly no good reason.

While the pandemic made things worse, even pre-pandemic trends already showed America lagging behind in keeping people alive. In 2023 alone, roughly 700,000 “missing Americans” died : people who might still be alive if they lived elsewhere. The pandemic amplified things, but the U.S. has been a deadly place to live for a long time. So maybe I should not be too surprised that my parents don't want to take their chances here.

That particular thinking may not be entirely rational as their perspective is informed by bad news from here traveling home, a variety of factors are at play: deindustrialization leaving many without college degrees behind, weak social safety nets, a fragmented and expensive health system, chronic disease linked to poor nutrition policies, permissive gun laws, and lots of time spent in cars.

Early adults, especially Millennials and older Gen Z, have been hit hardest. After 2010, progress stalled for nearly every cause of death. Synthetic fentanyl, car accidents, diabetes, alcohol, and suicide all rose sharply. COVID-19 intensified these trends, and unlike older adults, young Americans didn’t rebound after the pandemic. By 2023, early adults were 2.6 times more likely to die than peers in other wealthy nations.

It’s a stark snapshot of life in the U.S., a place where young adulthood is riskier than it should be, thanks to a mix of social, economic, and health failures. When this data comes home to my parents through their odd mix of channels (social media and otherwise), the TLDR is you'd be batshit crazy to go visit America when you are this old.