DEATH RATES 2015

Addiction is becoming a political issue.  Chris Cristie, Governor of New Jersey and Republican Presidential candidate, recently gave an impassioned speak on addiction.*  I might add that among the addictions sweeping this country is gambling and I feel the question in the recent Republican debate on Fantasy Football was quite legitimate and should be taken seriously.**  Addictions, especially pain killers and alcohol, are resulting in increased death rates particularly of  whites in the age range of 45 to 54.  Among industrialized countries, this mortality problem seems to be uniquely American (see figure).  See quotes in italics and figure from an article on the subject below:

The death rate among middle-aged white Americans has soared in recent years, driven by an epidemic of prescription drug overdoses, as well as rising liver disease and suicide, according to a new report from economists Anne Case and Angus Deaton at Princeton University.***
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As their paper shows, the surge in death rates is highly concentrated among whites ages 45 to 54 with a high school education or less; death rates have dropped for the college educated and Hispanics. The overall death rate among blacks is higher than among whites, but has declined over the past 15 years. In 1999, blacks were more likely to die from drug overdoses. Today, whites are.***
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In other words, prescription drug addictions may be causing economic challenges by depressing labor-force participation, rather than economic forces like deindustrialization causing prescription-drug addictions. But either way, an urgent health and economic crisis is at hand.***

(Click on figure to enlarge)

* http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/chris-christie-drug-addiction-treatment_56327ee9e4b0c66bae5bc0f3
** http://www.addiction.com/4356/fantasy-football-addiction/

*** http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2015/11/03/the-economic-roots-of-the-climbing-death-rate-for-middle-aged-whites/?mod=djemRTE_h