Men of all races suffered the greatest statistical decline, with the rates of unintentional injuries and suicides pushing their numbers downward. The numbers stayed relatively static for minority women, but white females declined as well.
It would appear that these stories would indicate that our 'Exceptionalist Culture' with the world's greatest healthcare system isn't so great or exceptional after all. Especially when we consider that increases in the 10 leading causes of death are wholly lifestyle-related. Heart disease, stroke, diabetes: all three have relationships associated with chronic obesity. The CDC reported this year also that obesity rates among Americans are the highest ever: with white American women now at 40%. These are all categories of death that impacted white females the most.
It also cannot be denied that record numbers of Americans addicted to prescription dope and sky-high poverty levels are contributing factors as well. Respiratory diseases was another category that was up among all races and genders---a frequent side effect of chemical poisoning, as in drug use or environmental pollution. Cancer rates were one of the few areas that declined.
The suicide rate---and the closely connected 'unintentional injury' category has been escalating among American men of all races for some time. In 2014, White males accounted for 70% of all suicides, rising to 72% this year. But since this number affects White men, nobody in Academia or Media is particularly interested in investigating the causes or looking for solutions.
Another suicide statistic which is largely covered-up (although for a different reason) is the extremely high suicide rate among so-called LGBTQ people. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, around 1/3 of LGBTQs have attempted suicide at some point. But that number doesn't fit the Politically-Correct social narrative that Gender Identity Disorder is not a mental illness and perfectly healthy lifestyle choice that should be celebrated and embraced.
What these numbers indicate overall are two things: First, that Obamacare hasn't done a single thing to improve American healthcare (other than enriching Insurance Cartels and Big Pharma). Second, it illustrates that American culture is really sinking to the level of pre-Industrial societies. All of these declining health factors are related to social breakdowns at nearly every level.
The American public above all needs to get out of its state of collective denial that these problems exist. The Trump Team is showing a few positive steps with proposals to reform our predatory healthcare system and at least an intention to raise national living standards. But we have a long way to go, as these numbers clearly indicate.
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