WaPo Investigative Series on Life Expectancy in the US

[fortnightlily]

I thought this was really well done: wapo.st/3LJ9vkH

Today's deep dive is how Red State policies have a direct, detrimental impact. Comparing how the rates of premature deaths in neighboring counties in NY vs PA vs OH can be tied to policy decisions like cigarette taxes, seatbelt laws, and use of Medicaid dollars: wapo.st/46C87IJ

I often wonder too how much of some of this entrenched railing against "nanny-statism" could be shaken off if people who've lived in the same place their whole lives were more exposed to how it is to live in a place with a different take on the individualism vs public good spectrum.  

The one thing this article also didn't really get into, but maybe they will in a later one, is the economic impact on the communities for these policies that resist efforts that would make for a healthier population with longer life expectancies.

[fortnightlily]

Meant to include this link, too about an epidemic of chronic illness in people in their prime adult years: wapo.st/48Jo6qv

[seeyalater52]

Oct 5, 2023 11:25:40 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

Today's deep dive is how Red State policies have a direct, detrimental impact. Comparing how the rates of premature deaths in neighboring counties in NY vs PA vs OH can be tied to policy decisions like cigarette taxes, seatbelt laws, and use of Medicaid dollars: wapo.st/46C87IJ

This has been making the rounds at work because it is tied to multiple of our policy priorities, but as a Medicaid policy person - AMEN for this reporting making it into the mainstream. Sometimes it feels like we are shouting into the void. And this doesn’t even have a Medicaid non-expansion state as an object lesson and I can tell you that it makes a HUGE difference when looking at these outcomes even comparing states like PA and OH with GA or FL or AL.

Oct 5, 2023 11:25:40 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

The one thing this article also didn't really get into, but maybe they will in a later one, is the economic impact on the communities for these policies that resist efforts that would make for a healthier population with longer life expectancies.

This is a huge factor. There’s a ton of good research on it but I’ll try to think of a mainstream media piece that captures it holistically.

[fortnightlily]

It's interesting reading the comments too because there's so much of "Well, if these people want to make poor choices that's on them. People right in the article say they know they should wear their seatbelt, or stop smoking, but then go right on doing it anyway" but seem to completely miss the point that people aren't making these choices in a vacuum! That corporations have been strongly incentivizing and influencing unhealthy options for decades. Does someone really have the "freedom" to make a choice for themselves when fast food is 1 mile away and affordable, and the closest fresh produce is 15 miles away and expensive? If the government is the "nanny" then we need a better metaphor of the opposite that the food, tobacco, auto, and other industries represent.

[msmerymac]

Yes, I have lived in New York, California, and Pennsylvania. Even with PA being a "purple" state and having a Dem governor for the last 9+ years, there are many differences between here and actual liberal states where tax dollars go to things that are beneficial.

@@@

Both NY and CA, for example, have implemented paid state short-term disability for people who give birth, along with several other states. PA is nada. PA doesn't even mandate that your vacation roll over, nor does it mandate sick days (I think only CA does). NJ is 45 minutes from me and much better because, obviously, blue state. Relatively small things like that have a big impact on the quality of life for workers/the general population. NY also subsidizes state colleges now! But those things aren't that big of a deal for someone who has never lived in another state who complains their taxes are high no matter what.

[msmerymac]

Oct 5, 2023 13:41:23 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

It's interesting reading the comments too because there's so much of "Well, if these people want to make poor choices that's on them. People right in the article say they know they should wear their seatbelt, or stop smoking, but then go right on doing it anyway" but seem to completely miss the point that people aren't making these choices in a vacuum! That corporations have been strongly incentivizing and influencing unhealthy options for decades. Does someone really have the "freedom" to make a choice for themselves when fast food is 1 mile away and affordable, and the closest fresh produce is 15 miles away and expensive? If the government is the "nanny" then we need a better metaphor of the opposite that the food, tobacco, auto, and other industries represent.

Also, Mike Dewine vetoed a law that would have allowed cops to stop people to ticket them for not wearing a seat belt. They can only ticket you for that if they pull you over for something else. NY has been issuing seat belt tickets alone since 1984. 

[basilosaurus]

Oct 5, 2023 14:07:49 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Oct 5, 2023 13:41:23 GMT -5 fortnightlily said:

It's interesting reading the comments too because there's so much of "Well, if these people want to make poor choices that's on them. People right in the article say they know they should wear their seatbelt, or stop smoking, but then go right on doing it anyway" but seem to completely miss the point that people aren't making these choices in a vacuum! That corporations have been strongly incentivizing and influencing unhealthy options for decades. Does someone really have the "freedom" to make a choice for themselves when fast food is 1 mile away and affordable, and the closest fresh produce is 15 miles away and expensive? If the government is the "nanny" then we need a better metaphor of the opposite that the food, tobacco, auto, and other industries represent.

Also, Mike Dewine vetoed a law that would have allowed cops to stop people to ticket them for not wearing a seat belt. They can only ticket you for that if they pull you over for something else. NY has been issuing seat belt tickets alone since 1984. 

The justification I've seen for this is that it was a lazy way to use police time to meet quotas.

Similar to how FL said you can't pull over and issue a speeding ticket unless it's more the 5mph+ (or at least they used to). We had a cop who basically lived in a 3 block section on my street. Speed limit 25, but down from 35 a block away, and he always had someone pulled over.

[basilosaurus]

If the government is the "nanny" then we need a better metaphor of the opposite that the food, tobacco, auto, and other industries represent.

Friendly neighborhood drug pusher? Who like Pablo Escobar also builds schools and clinics. It certainly works for tobacco. I used to be inundated with Honda doing good things in the community commercials.