Health and longevity are based upon factors we can all acknowledge: genetics, lifestyle and luck among them. They are also largely taken for granted. But as Stephen Bezruchka explains, social class has a far more profound effect in the US than we realize, in ways we wouldn't guess, even for the many of us who consider ourselves middle class.

Stephen Bezruchka
Stephen Bezruchka teaches at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency room physician in Seattle. His particular areas of research are population health and societal hierarchy. He is author of numerous articles and essays. He is a contributor to "Sickness and Wealth," a book on the effects of global corporatization on health.