Sec. 2. Findings
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The Congress makes the following findings: United States life expectancy at birth, formerly longer than many other wealthy nations, has lagged over the past four decades and currently stands at 78.6 years compared with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average of nearly 81 years. If United States life expectancy matched the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development average, more than 210,000 deaths would be prevented annually. United States life expectancy declined in 2015 and 2016, the first decline in 2 consecutive years since a deadly influenza pandemic caused declines in 1962 and 1963.
Preliminary data indicates that United States life expectancy declined in 2017, which would mark the first decline in 3 consecutive years since 1916–1918, which included the Spanish influenza pandemic that killed an estimated 675,000 Americans. The gap in life expectancy between the United States and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has been attributed in part to numerous factors, including the opioid epidemic, smoking, obesity, insufficient exercise, infant mortality, maternal mortality, affordable access to high-quality health care, gun violence, economic inequality, and social isolation.
There is significant and growing inequality in life expectancy in the United States based on socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, and geography.