On American life expectancy

Growth sceptics sometimes make the point that life expectancy in America is lower than in many less rich countries. The implication is that countries stop benefiting from greater wealth beyond a certain point. But an article in Real Clear Politics by John Stossel throws a different light on this discussion. He argues that factors such as America’s high murder rate and the high number of car accidents – in other words factors not related to affluence – skew the statistics for American life expectancy.

Stossel’s concern is to defend America’s health care system. But there is a case for looking at the relationship of life expectancy and affluence more generally.