#life expectancy gap

[entitledrichpeople]

Seniors Are More Conservative Because the Poor Die Off

Sometimes older voters aren’t just naturally more conservative. It’s just that wealthier and whiter people tend to live longer and healthier lives.

[entitledrichpeople]

More evidence that raising the Social Security retirement age is no problem for the rich, but tough on the poor

Another study shows a gap in life expectancy favoring the rich, with big implications for Social Security.

What the actuaries found is that lifetime earnings are a powerful predictor of mortality. As Kathy Ruffing of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities points out, among men ages 65 to 69, those in the lowest 20% of lifetime earnings (less than $22,400 a year) had death rates more than three times as high as those in the top 20% (annual earnings of $74,356 or more). Specifically, the lowest-income group had a mortality rate 65% higher than the average of all men ages 65 to 69, while the highest-earning had a rate 39% less than the average.

That same poor group that has higher rates of death also has higher rates of serious health problems, making it even harder for them to continue working even when they aren’t dying.

[micdotcom]

The life expectancy gap between the rich and poor is growing

A new study published by the Journal of the American Medical Association has documented the complex nature of the growing longevity gap between the haves and the have-nots in America. Since the turn of the millennium, the richest Americans have added three years to their life expectancy, but overall the poorest Americans haven't gained any. But in some states, this disparity is even worse.