America may be the wealthiest nation on Earth, but the health of its people tells a more complex story of a society still grappling with preventable deaths, rising mental health crises, and deep-seated disparities, even as life expectancy inches upward from pandemic lows.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, the US life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years, a slight increase from 76.4 years in 2021 due to declines in COVID-19 mortality.
- Age-adjusted death rate from heart disease in the US was 161.5 per 100,000 population in 2022.
- Cancer mortality rate in the US for 2021 was 146.5 deaths per 100,000 population, down 32% from peak in 1991.
- 42.4% of US adults had obesity in 2017-2020, increasing risks for comorbidities.
- About 11.6% of US adults have diabetes, with 90-95% being type 2 in 2023.
- Hypertension affects 47% of US adults, or 116 million people in 2022.
- 21.0% of US adults experience chronic pain impacting daily life.
- 29.3% of US adults report anxiety symptoms in 2023 surveys.
- Major depressive disorder lifetime prevalence is 21% among US adults.
- HIV diagnoses in US: 31,800 new cases in 2022, down 12% since 2018.
- COVID-19 cumulative deaths exceed 1.1 million as of 2024.
- Influenza caused 12,000-52,000 deaths annually pre-COVID.
- 58.6 million non-institutionalized adults uninsured sometime in 2022.
- 8.6% of US population uninsured in 2023, down from 9.2% in 2022.
- Medicaid covers 92 million Americans, 28% of population in 2023.
US health trends are mixed with life expectancy slightly rising but persistent preventable disease and injury rates.
Chronic Conditions
- 42.4% of US adults had obesity in 2017-2020, increasing risks for comorbidities.
- About 11.6% of US adults have diabetes, with 90-95% being type 2 in 2023.
- Hypertension affects 47% of US adults, or 116 million people in 2022.
- Arthritis impacts 53 million US adults, limiting activity for 23 million.
- Chronic kidney disease affects 37 million US adults, or 15% of population.
- COPD prevalence is 6.7% among US adults aged 18+, affecting 16 million.
- Asthma affects 24 million people in US, with 11.5 million having attacks yearly.
- Osteoporosis causes 2 million fractures annually, costing $19 billion.
- 34.2 million Americans have diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed adds 8.4 million.
- High cholesterol affects 86 million US adults aged 20+, per 2017-2020 data.
- 81.5% of cancer deaths linked to smoking, alcohol, obesity, inactivity, poor diet.
- Liver cirrhosis prevalence is 1.75% among adults, rising with alcohol use.
- Rheumatoid arthritis affects 1.5 million US adults, higher in women.
- Chronic pain affects 51.6 million US adults (21.0%) per 2021 survey.
- 10.5% of US adults have depression, with rates doubling post-COVID.
- Parkinson's disease diagnosed in ~1 million Americans, projected to 1.2M by 2030.
- Multiple sclerosis prevalence is 1 million in US, per 2023 estimates.
- End-stage renal disease affects 808,000, with 570,000 on dialysis.
- 28.7 million US adults smoke cigarettes, 11% prevalence in 2022.
- Binge drinking in 17.3% of adults, heavy drinking 5.1% in past year.
- Physical inactivity in 25.2% of US adults, varying by state.
- Poor sleep health affects 35% of US adults regularly.
- 13.8% of US adults aged 18+ report severe depression symptoms.
- Alzheimer's affects 6.7 million Americans aged 65+, projected 13.8M by 2060.
- 27.3% of US youth have prediabetes or diabetes risk factors.
- 14.4 million US adults have coronary artery disease.
- About 1 in 13 US children has asthma, affecting 4.7 million under 18.
- 12.5% of US adults have high blood pressure awareness but poor control.
- 18.7% of US adults aged 65+ have CKD stages 3-5.
- Severe obesity (BMI ≥40) in 9.2% of US adults in 2017-2020.
- 20.6% of US adults report arthritis-attributable activity limitation.
Chronic Conditions Interpretation
The portrait of American health is a landscape of preventable suffering, where the leading causes of death and disability are a grim testament to our collective lifestyle choices, chronicling a nation increasingly burdened by its own habits.
Healthcare Access
- 58.6 million non-institutionalized adults uninsured sometime in 2022.
- 8.6% of US population uninsured in 2023, down from 9.2% in 2022.
- Medicaid covers 92 million Americans, 28% of population in 2023.
- Medicare enrollment: 65 million beneficiaries in 2023.
- 90.6% of US adults had health insurance in first half 2023.
- Employer-sponsored insurance covers 155 million, 49% of population.
- Marketplace enrollment peaked at 21.3 million in 2024.
- 26 million Americans gained coverage via ACA since 2010.
- Rural areas have 20% fewer primary care physicians per capita.
- 1 in 4 adults skipped needed care due to cost in 2022.
- Dental insurance covers only 35% of low-income adults.
- Emergency department visits: 139 million annually, many avoidable.
- Preventable hospitalizations: 16% higher for Medicaid patients.
- Telehealth visits surged to 20% of outpatient visits post-COVID.
- 44 million adults underinsured, spending >10% income on care.
- Hospital-at-home programs grew 300% during pandemic.
- 28 states expanded Medicaid post-ACA by 2024.
- Cancer screening rates dropped 8.8% during pandemic.
- 65% of US adults had PCP in 2022, down in rural areas.
- Prescription drug spending: $405 billion, 9% of health expenditures.
- Out-of-pocket spending averaged $1,514 per person in 2022.
- Health expenditures per capita: $13,493 in 2022, highest globally.
- Nurse practitioner shortages: 20 states allow full practice.
- 15% of hospitals at capacity risk due to staffing shortages 2023.
- CHIP covers 9 million children in all states.
- TRICARE serves 9.3 million military families.
- 83 million on Medicaid/CHIP, largest insurer.
Healthcare Access Interpretation
Despite boasting a system of dizzying scale and staggering cost—from its 65 million Medicare beneficiaries to the 21 million peak in marketplace enrollments—the American healthcare landscape is a bizarre masterpiece of contradictions, where record insurance rates collide with one in four adults skipping needed care due to expense, and where our breathtaking per capita spending of $13,493 somehow still leaves 44 million underinsured and rural communities chronically underserved.
Infectious Diseases
- HIV diagnoses in US: 31,800 new cases in 2022, down 12% since 2018.
- COVID-19 cumulative deaths exceed 1.1 million as of 2024.
- Influenza caused 12,000-52,000 deaths annually pre-COVID.
- Hepatitis C new diagnoses: 66,300 acute cases estimated in 2022.
- Tuberculosis cases: 8,916 reported in US in 2023.
- Lyme disease cases: over 476,000 estimated annually.
- HPV vaccination coverage: 62% of adolescents fully vaccinated by 2023.
- Flu vaccination rate: 52.9% among adults in 2022-2023 season.
- Pertussis (whooping cough) cases: 3,962 in 2023.
- Hepatitis B chronic cases: 826,000-2.4 million in US.
- MRSA infections: 119,247 invasive cases in 2019.
- Mpox (monkeypox) cases: 30,841 confirmed/probable in 2022 outbreak.
- Pneumococcal vaccination: 69% among adults 65+ in 2022.
- Shingles (herpes zoster) affects 1 million Americans yearly.
- Measles cases: 58 confirmed in 2019 outbreak, vaccine preventable.
- Chlamydia cases: 1.65 million reported in 2022.
- Gonorrhea: 648,663 cases, highest in decades in 2023.
- Syphilis cases: 207,255 total, congenital up 3% in 2023.
- RSV hospitalizations: 58,000-80,000 in children under 5 yearly.
- Norovirus causes 19-21 million cases, 900 deaths annually.
- Vaccine hesitancy led to MMR coverage at 93.5% kindergarteners 2022-2023.
- Hepatitis A cases declined 94% post-vaccine introduction.
- C. difficile infections: 466 cases per 100,000 population.
- COVID-19 vaccination: 81% of adults received at least one dose by 2024.
- Polio remains eradicated, zero cases since 1979 due to vaccination.
Infectious Diseases Interpretation
The United States public health story is one of remarkable vaccine-driven victories and frustratingly persistent preventable threats, reminding us that our collective health depends on both scientific triumph and societal attention span.
Life Expectancy and Mortality
- In 2023, the US life expectancy at birth was 77.5 years, a slight increase from 76.4 years in 2021 due to declines in COVID-19 mortality.
- Age-adjusted death rate from heart disease in the US was 161.5 per 100,000 population in 2022.
- Cancer mortality rate in the US for 2021 was 146.5 deaths per 100,000 population, down 32% from peak in 1991.
- Unintentional injury death rate rose to 61.8 per 100,000 in 2022, driven by drug overdoses.
- Infant mortality rate in the US was 5.44 per 1,000 live births in 2022.
- Maternal mortality ratio was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2022.
- Drug overdose deaths reached 109,680 in 2023, with fentanyl involved in 70% of cases.
- Suicide rate in the US was 14.2 per 100,000 in 2022, highest among middle-aged adults.
- Alzheimer's disease death rate was 35.0 per 100,000 in 2021.
- Stroke mortality rate declined to 37.3 per 100,000 in 2022.
- COVID-19 death rate fell to 8.3 per 100,000 in 2023 from 115.6 in 2021.
- Homicide rate was 7.7 per 100,000 in 2022, up from pre-pandemic levels.
- Life expectancy for males was 74.8 years and for females 80.2 years in 2023.
- Death rate from chronic lower respiratory diseases was 41.1 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Diabetes mortality rate was 21.8 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Kidney disease death rate stood at 14.5 per 100,000 in 2021.
- Life expectancy gap between Black and White Americans narrowed to 4.5 years in 2023.
- Firearm-related death rate was 14.8 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Death rate from influenza and pneumonia was 13.4 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Parkinson's disease mortality increased 3.9% annually from 2011-2021.
- US life expectancy remains 3.5 years below 2019 levels as of 2023.
- Age-adjusted mortality rate for all causes was 715.9 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Liver disease and cirrhosis death rate was 14.9 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Septicemia death rate was 11.5 per 100,000 in 2021.
- Death rate from hypertension was 9.8 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Essential hypertension mortality increased among younger adults by 4% yearly.
- Overall cancer incidence rate is 442 per 100,000, with mortality 149 per 100,000 in 2023.
- Heart disease remains the leading cause of death, accounting for 695,000 deaths in 2022.
- US ranks 40th globally in life expectancy at 76.4 years in 2021 data.
- Premature mortality (before age 75) rate is 288 per 100,000 in recent years.
Life Expectancy and Mortality Interpretation
We've made progress against some old foes like heart disease and cancer, but the grim parade of overdoses, suicides, and persistent inequities means our national health report card is a mix of cautious hope and profound alarm.
Mental Health
- 21.0% of US adults experience chronic pain impacting daily life.
- 29.3% of US adults report anxiety symptoms in 2023 surveys.
- Major depressive disorder lifetime prevalence is 21% among US adults.
- Suicide ideation affected 5.3% of US high school students in 2023.
- 1 in 5 US adults experience mental illness annually, per 2023 data.
- ADHD diagnosis in 11.4% of US children aged 3-17 years.
- PTSD prevalence is 6% lifetime in US adults, higher in veterans.
- Bipolar disorder affects 2.8% of US adults lifetime prevalence.
- Schizophrenia impacts 1.1% lifetime, or 3.7 million US adults.
- 18.3% of US adults binge drank in past month, linked to mental health.
- Youth mental health crisis: 42% of high schoolers felt persistently sad.
- Serious mental illness in 5.5% of US adults aged 18+ in 2022.
- Autism spectrum disorder in 1 in 36 US children aged 8 years.
- Eating disorders affect 9% of US population lifetime.
- 60% of adults with mental illness did not receive treatment in 2022.
- Depression rates among US adults aged 18-29 reached 33% in 2023.
- Opioid use disorder tied to 50% increase in mental health disorders.
- Loneliness affects 1 in 2 US adults, per 2023 Surgeon General report.
- Anxiety disorders prevalence 19.1% past year among US adults.
- 14 million US adults have social anxiety disorder.
- OCD affects 2.3% lifetime prevalence in US population.
- Mental health treatment gap: only 47% of those with SMI receive care.
- Burnout among healthcare workers at 62% during pandemic peaks.
- 22.8% of US youth aged 12-17 had major depressive episode in 2022.
- Veteran suicide rate 17.2 per 100,000, 1.5x civilian rate.
- College students: 44% reported serious psychological distress in 2022.
- 1 in 6 US youth aged 6-17 experience mental health disorder yearly.
Mental Health Interpretation
The United States is facing a silent but deafening epidemic, where the staggering statistics of mental and physical anguish paint a portrait of a nation in profound collective pain, revealing a healthcare system that is chronically under-treating chronic suffering.
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