Surprising that Time is covering this. Maybe because now Trump is President, even though the root of these problems goes back to the start of the Obama era. Or maybe because there's inherently a big lag time between societal problems and people actually gathering up the evidence and noticing the collective effect of those problems. (People have a tendency to believe everything in society is the same as it was last year, so long as they are not personally affected). And of course it was the younger Millennial generation that was hardest hit, since they were the ones just entering the job market for the first time and trying to get their foot on the career ladder. Back then (2009 or so) I got the feeling at the time, this was going to end up resulting in some long-term social issues for a large segment of the members of this generation. Millennials' Chronic Health Problems Will Limit Their Lifetime Earnings More millennials in the U.S. are suffering from chronic health problems, potentially restraining the lifetime economic potential of a generation of young adults. A spike in conditions like depression, hypertension and high cholesterol among younger people could increase health-care costs and lower incomes in coming years, according to a report Wednesday from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, a federation of 36 independent companies that together provide coverage for 1 in 3 Americans. Between 2014 and 2017, rates of depression among millennials surged by 31%, while hyperactivity rose 29% and hypertension increased 16%, according to the report. High cholesterol and tobacco-use disorder also increased. Without change, the effects of those trends could be game-changing for the U.S. and its economy, the report warned. Health-care costs in the U.S. are already high and climbing, on track to make up nearly 20% of gross domestic product in coming years. It's likely that a tough economy has played a role in millennial health, since the group entered the workforce in the middle of the 2008 financial crisis and is grappling with burdensome student-debt loads, said Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody’s Analytics, which prepared the report using Blue Cross Blue Shield data. Millennials were born between 1981 and 1996, meaning the oldest turned 38 this year. The generation is known for its technological savvy, generally high levels of education, and demographic diversity. There are roughly 73 million U.S. millennials, and this year, they are expected to become the largest U.S. generation as more baby boomers die, according to the Pew Research Center. The new report didn't provide a precise estimate for the effects of worsening millennial health on U.S. economic output. Instead, it predicted the generation’s lower levels of health could eventually cost the oldest millennials more than $4,500 in annual income. Under the worst-case scenario, millennial health-care costs could climb 33% compared with the prior generation, according to the report. If nothing changes, current trends could also indicate an increase of more than 40% in death rates among millennials as compared with Generation X, the group born between millennials and baby boomers, the report found. A prior analysis from the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association in April focused on the increasing prevalence of the 10 most common conditions among millennials, a list that included hyperactivity and diabetes, finding that they were more frequent among millennials than the previous generation. Other research has also raised concerns about millennial health, particularly mental health. Drug-related deaths among the group have surged in the past decade, as have alcohol-induced fatalities and suicides, according to an analysis this year by the groups Trust for America’s Health and Well Being Trust. https://time.com/5720313/millennials-health-limit-earnings/ by Emma Court, Nov 6, 2019 related thread: Rising number of overdoses amid dim job prospects for Millenials
The news isn't all bad though. The job market for the younger generation has mostly recovered, but people are just beginning to collectively assess what the toll has been on the Millennial generation, in social costs. You can't have a bad job market go on for a decade without it having some serious consequences in the lives of those affected. It's amazing what the correlation is between physical health and the economy.
The US has managed to twin high amenable mortality (through a ludicrously inefficient and ineffective healthcare system) with poor morbidity (intensified by inefficient income inequalities). Vote right wing, ensure a crap life that ends too soon.
The US does not have worse of a healthcare system than any other country with a diversity level coming anywhere near as close as it is to the US. Were you trying to compare the US to a country that's not Asian or majority White? Seems like cherry-picking. Your specific criticism of the US medical system, comparing it to only other selected types of countries, is unfair. You've been told this multiple times in the past. People from all parts of the world come to the US for medical treatment. I do not wish to derail the subject of this thread, however.
I'm making the correct comparison: amenable mortality. I'm not interested in hard right rant over diversity so cut that bobbins out.
Amendable mortality assumes equality, that resources should be redistributed from the paying customers to others because it would be more efficient. The US has a lower degree of socialized healthcare than other countries that are in Western Europe. But if you bothered to read the opening post, and give it even the most rudimentary basic thought, you'd see this is not an issue of what type of healthcare system exists. Look at the specific problems that were listed: depression, hypertension and high cholesterol. These are not problems caused by a bad healthcare system, these are problems stemming from psychological and situational life stresses.
Paying customers? Ouch! Perhaps American can't comprehend simple rights and how, through their blind market fundamentalism (which really just translates into cronyism), they have engineered the ultimate inefficient system (as proved by expenditure according to GDP share). They have a cretinous system that twins economic inefficiency with extraordinarily high amenable mortality. To support such a result has no rationale, for left or right wing. It is rent seeking that ensures the ultimate denial of rights: one's life.
Reiver, let's stop derailing what the real subject in this thread is about. If you want to talk about inequality, fine, but healthcare inequality does not really have so much to do with the subject being discussed here.
Derail? I've merely referred to what's behind chronic health problems in the US. That it doesn't fit with your right agenda is just expected.
On a slightly different topic, but related to the title of this thread... Half of US Adults Will Be Obese in 10 Years December 2019 (HealthDay News) – A decade from now, roughly half of U.S. adults will be obese – with nearly one-quarter severely so, a new study projects. The predictions by researchers at Harvard University paint a grim picture: By 2030, the prevalence of adult obesity will be at least 35% in every U.S. state, and in 29 states, the figure will top 50%. Particularly troubling is the expected rise in severe obesity, experts said. “It’s really alarming, because that’s when the risk of obesity-related health conditions is high,” said Marlene Schwartz, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at the University of Connecticut. Schwartz, who was not involved in the study, said it provides useful information, since it breaks down which states – and which groups of Americans – will be most affected. While no state will be untouched by the nation’s obesity problem, some will clearly bear a greater burden. In 25 states, more than one-quarter of the adult population will be severely obese, the researchers project. Some of the highest rates – all topping 30% – will be in Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Oklahoma. “There’s no state where things are getting better, or even leveling off,” said lead researcher Zachary Ward, an analyst at Harvard’s Center for Health Decision Science. Women are expected to have higher rates of severe obesity than men, with nearly 28% falling into that category by 2030. Meanwhile, one-third of blacks will be severely obese, making them the most affected racial/ethnic group. And among U.S. households with an annual income of less than $50,000, severe obesity will become the single-most common weight category. Estimates like these – by state and by demographics – are valuable, according to June Stevens, a spokesperson for The Obesity Society. “The causes of obesity are very complex and include characteristics related to where you live, your culture and even your friends,” said Stevens, who is also a professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “These relationships contribute to different groups of Americans being affected by the obesity epidemic differently,” Stevens said. “In order to effectively prevent and treat obesity, it’s useful to understand these differences.” And states will need to be financially prepared, Ward pointed out: With severe obesity so prevalent among low-income Americans, Medicaid programs will bear rising health care costs. The projections, published Dec. 19 in the New England Journal of Medicine , might sound especially dire. But they are more accurate than previous estimates, the researchers said. Ward and his team started with findings from an annual federal health survey that asks people to report their weight – pulling together responses from over 6.2 million Americans surveyed between 1993 and 2016. The researchers then pulled data from another government study where researchers actually measured people’s weight and height. Armed with that information, they used statistical modeling to correct for the inevitable “bias” that crops up when people report their own weight. Right now, the researchers estimate, 40% of American adults are obese, and 18% severely so. Assuming recent trends continue, roughly 49% will be obese by 2030, while 24% will reach the severe obesity category – something that was once rare, Ward noted. Despite the numbers, both Stevens and Schwartz warned against a hopeless attitude. “You don’t want everyone to just throw up their hands and give up,” Schwartz said. She encouraged people to focus on replacing processed, sugary foods with healthier whole foods, and fitting physical activity into their day – by walking more often, for example. “You can engage in healthy behaviors no matter what your weight is,” Schwartz said. “Do that instead of focusing on the number on the scale.” But to truly tackle this public health problem, she stressed, broad changes are needed. “As a society, we have a responsibility to make it easier for people to have a healthy lifestyle,” Schwartz said. Processed foods are readily available and cheap, she said, while for many people, healthy whole foods are unaffordable. And some nutritionally dubious fare is even specifically marketed to minority groups, Schwartz added. Meanwhile, Americans in many communities lack safe places to get free outdoor exercise. “One thing individuals can do is get involved in their communities,” Schwartz said. “They can say, it’s not OK that we don’t have safe places for our kids to play, or a grocery store with healthy food.” Stevens agreed, saying that while the projections are “glum,” they are not set in stone. “With work, we can change things,” she said. And Americans want free healthcare yet cannot stop themselves from stuffing their face. https://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/...TNCrI3cCxYmOa374m1hZVmdEpmNqbUHLKFQei2y1Qb0#3 I wonder, could the growing obesity epidemic have something to do with economics or psychological stresses caused by finances?
The percentage of young Americans experiencing certain types of mental health disorders has risen significantly over the past decade, with no corresponding increase in older adults, according to new research. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/03/190315110908.htm Could it be that the older generation is out of touch with what it's like for younger adults these days? The older generation generally already has a foot in the career ladder, and what's more, often already owns their house so doesn't have to pay the outrageous rent levels these days. Young adults have been under some severe financial pressure. And it's well known there is a connection between life stress and mental health. The research found little increase for those 26 years and older. Perhaps this could have something to do with delayed adulthood? Or it could be a very specific generational thing. Let's see, the research looked at the year as late as 2017, so if we subtract 8 years, this people would have just been turning 18 years of age in 2011. That's right in the so-called "Great Recession" (which was at its worst between 2007-2011). So this could be reflective of the phenomena of a "Lost Generation". These young adults were skipped over for jobs when hiring stopped.
Blaming the high carb, low fat diet on Obama? this was all Nixon... the Trump admin is doing nothing to solve this the most they want to do is take away coverage from people that follow the government food guidelines "Trump Official Says Diabetes a Preexisting Condition Not Worthy of Coverage" https://insulinnation.com/living/tr...t-a-preexisting-condition-worthy-of-coverage/
Gen Z Facing Higher Mental Health Challenges Compared to Millennials A recent study conducted by Gallup and the Walton Family Foundation reveals a concerning trend in the mental state of Generation Z, compared to their predecessors, the Millennials. The Gallup group used a scale to measure if individuals are thriving or struggling, based on their life perspective. The study revealed shocking results stating that only 41% aged 18 to 26 are likely to be thriving, while 60% of millennials claim to be thriving based on their life perception. The study shows that the results so obtained are different than the previous generations' at the same age. It showed that only 15 percent of Gen Z rated their mental state as excellent, while a decade ago, when millennials were at the same age, 52 % of them had an excellent mental state. There has been an overall decline in the mental state over the last decade. "Less than half (47%) of Gen Z Americans are thriving in their lives - among the lowest across all generations in the U.S. today and a much lower rate than millennials at the same age." Thus, it is quite possible that Gen Z is facing a more challenging environment. "Gen Z Facing Higher Mental Health Challenges Compared to Millennials, Study Reveals Story", by Aroop Pandit, Sportskeeda Health and Fitness, September 14, 2023 study comes from "Voices of Gen Z: Perspectives on U.S. Education, Wellbeing and the Future", Gallup-Walton Family Foundation
Then again, have you had to deal with what they've had to face? You seem to assume things now are just the same as they were when you were that age. But maybe you are in a different part of the country from these stressed Millennials and have a different experience. I think part of this also is that many of them might be burned out from going through college and saddled with a lot of student debt. And then a lot of them realize they can't move out unless they pay $1300 to $2000 a month in rent, the price of the cheapest small apartments. For a lot of people - especially younger people and much older people - that's not really affordable or sustainable, even if you do have a half decent paying job paying $18 an hour.
Poor widdle snowflakes. "Burned out going to college? I went to West Point. We took Solid Mechanics, Thermodynamics', Electromagnetic Field Theory, Physics, and such. We were tested academically, physically and emotionally all the time. Mandatory sports. Mandatory meals, lights out... summers spent becoming pilots, Rangers and Paratroopers... not sucking up rays at the beach. And there were no excuses. You cut it or you were gone. There were over 10,000 applicants for my class. Slightly over 1500 were admitted. 848 graduated. Poor wiiddle ones "burned out" from going to college? Gimme a break. Saddled with a lot of debt? Their choice. Here's a whole house renting for $650 in a nice suburb of San Diego for $650 per month (4852 Cypress St, La Mesa, CA 91942 - House for Rent in La Mesa, CA | Apartments.com.) Small... but ok. I know... I lived there once. That's San Diego... far from cheap. Your $1300-2000 figure must have some extravagant amenities. As far as being in some "different part of the country".. I was born in the Bronx and raised in New York. Due to the military and some great companies like Boeing. Lockheed and L-3, I've been a resident of NJ, MA, NH, VA, PA, FL, GA, OK, CA, MO, and Texas, Germany, and Iraq. I've lived for extended periods in AZ, AL, KS, MI, UK, Isreal, Kuwait, and more. I WISH all I had to deal with was just what these snowflakes deal with.
I don't mean to disbelieve you, but there is absolutely no way there is any house actually renting for $650 in that area. Even if it had multiple holes in the roof that let the rain in, and the kitchen was completely burned out and blackened from a fire. There are many areas where it is extremely difficult to find anything cheaper than $1300-2000. And I'm not just referring to the very rich neighborhoods. You seem to be living in a different world from other people. (Which might be, if you are living in a different region of the country) Occasionally there might be something listed for cheaper, but then there are a long line of applicants trying to get it, and your chances of being the one to get it are less than 1 out of 6.
You don't have to believe me. Here is a LINK... PROOF... get it? PROOF. (4852 Cypress St, La Mesa, CA 91942 - House for Rent in La Mesa, CA | Apartments.com. Read much? I lived in that house... small but ok. Get it? PROOF... look at the link.... does TRUTH scare you that much? LOOK AT IT. That house is a block from the center of La Meas... a very nice suburban town... a nice San Diego burb. Now LOOK AT THE PROOF.
To be fair, it is kind of close to two major freeways with lots of car traffic, and is right in the middle of a valley where more air pollution settles. It's also a little bit further inland, away from the more desirable and expensive area close to the coast. You made your point. But I suspect that level of rent is not typical. I do imagine the guy may be looking for a good tenant and isn't just looking to rent to absolutely anyone.
All landlor4ds want good tenants. Ever see an ad that said "Apartment available. Applicants should be heroine users. Meth heads wanting to manufacture drugs on site are particularly sought. By the way, that address in La Mesa is 10 minutes from the beach.
It can take all day to cross Manhattan when the President is speaking at the UN too. But its an odd case.
