Concerning Lag in Life Expectancy for the 'Forgotten Middle'

In a new study, faculty member John W. Rowe, MD, Julius B. Richmond Professor of Health Policy and Aging, together with David Rehkopf and Christian Jackson at Stanford University, Frank Furstenberg at the University of Pennsylvania and members of the Research Network on an Aging Society, found that there has been a 20-year decline in well-being and health for the lower-middle-income population whose household income is between $30,000 and $75,000. And the strongest downward trend is among those between the ages of 50 to 59. U.S. life expectancy is significantly shorter than other industrialized nations, likely due to chronic diseases, health disparities and the high cost of U.S. healthcare. But for lower-middle-class Americans approaching retirement, the picture is even bleaker.

To read more, see their publication in Health Affairs Scholar here.