Middle-Age Death Rates Have Skyrocketed in Some States

Via Eric Topol, here’s an interesting chart from a new report in JAMA. It shows how the probability of death during middle-age has changed from 1990-2016 in all 50 states. In the country as a whole, there’s been a 1.7 percentage point decrease in the probability of death from various causes and a 0.7 point increase, for a net change of -1.0 percent.

Southern states tend to have the highest probability of death and the biggest increase since 1990. In Mississippi, for example, you have an 11 percent chance of dying between ages 20-55, and that’s gone up 0.2 points since 1990. Kentucky has gone up by 1.2 points, Oklahoma by 1.6 points, and West Virginia by 2.2 points.

In California and New York, by contrast, the probability of death is about 5.5 percent, and that’s gone down by 3.2 points in New York and 2.1 points in California.

The differences here are huge and are “strongly linked to the burden of substance use disorders, cirrhosis, and self-harm.” I imagine they’re also linked to the effort each state has put into improving its health care system. There’s more at the link, including the same chart for ages 0-20 and ages 55-90.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

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