Inequality Kills Us All
In the 1950s the United States had among the lowest mortality rates and highest life expectancy in the world. Today, other rich nations and quite a number of poor ones have better health outcomes than Americans. Why? How can the U.S., probably the wealthiest country in history do so poorly? Starting with Reagan in the 1980s and the fervent embrace of neoliberal economics by the ruling class we’ve seen an overall decline in health and life expectancy along with huge gaps in income. The causes of our inequality and subsequent poor health indices are political, thus remedies must also be political. As Dr. Bezruchka says, “Our future work needs to focus on exposing ways in which rampant social injustice affects not just our economic well-being but also our prospects for a healthy life. Inequality,” he says, “kills!”
Speaker
Stephen Bezruchka
Dr. Stephen Bezruchka is on the faculty of the Department of Health Systems and Population Health at the University of Washington. He worked for many years as an emergency physician in Seattle. He worked in Nepal for more than a decade where he helped set up a community health project a week’s walk from the road. He also established a remote district hospital for training Nepali doctors whom he supervised. He is the author of Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19’s Health Lessons for the World.
Ron Barstow –
I picked up this program driving through East Tennessee tonight. I have been thinking about these very issues for a while now and it is refreshing to hear Dr. Bezruchka’s views. I agree with all of it. This is the first time I have heard all the factors driving our inequality together in one place. Its a lot to think about. Thank you for airing the talk. I’m going to get the book tomorrow.
Nine –
When Dr. Bezruchka says “America”, does he mean the United States OF AMERICA?
Dr. Bezruchka does offer us tons of gold nuggets: addressing the USA as the greatest nation IN THE HISTORY OF MAN —that’s progress, because USA is not currently THE most evolved nation in the World., and Dr. Bezruchka proves that.