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Friday Alert August 17, 2007
Alliance for Retired Americans
888 16th Street, N.W. - Washington DC, 20006 - (202)
974-8222 - www.retiredamericans.or
U.S. is only 42nd in Life
Expectancy
Americans are living longer than ever,
but not as long as people in 41 other countries, the Associated
Press reported on Sunday. For decades, the United States
has been slipping in international rankings of life expectancy,
as other countries improve health care, nutrition and
lifestyles. A baby born in the United States in 2004 will
live an average of 77.9 years, giving America a rank of 42nd
worldwide. That is down from 11th two decades earlier,
according to international numbers provided by the Census Bureau
and domestic numbers from the National Center for Health
Statistics. Countries that surpass the U.S. include Japan
and most of Europe, as well as Jordan and the Cayman
Islands. Andorra, a tiny country in the Pyrenees Mountains
between France and Spain, had the longest life expectancy, at
83.5 years. It was followed by Japan, Macau, San Marino
and Singapore. Swaziland, in sub-Saharan Africa - part of
a region that has been hit hard by an epidemic of HIV and AIDS,
as well as famine and civil strife - has the shortest lifespan,
at 34.1 years. Researchers said several factors have
contributed to the United States' falling behind other
industrialized nations. A major one is that 45 million
Americans lack health insurance. Among the other factors:
Adults in the United States have one of the highest obesity
rates in the world. Racial disparities are also a factor:
black Americans have an average life expectancy of 73.3 years,
five years shorter than white Americans. Another reason for the
U.S. drop in the ranking is that the Census Bureau now tracks
life expectancy for a lot more countries - 222 in 2004 - than it
did in the 1980s. "Many Americans would definitely be
living longer if everyone had health insurance," said
George J. Kourpias, President of the
Alliance. "It is a disgrace that the U.S. is spending so
much on health care, but only ranks 42nd."
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Oversight is Lax as Drug Companies Spend More on
Advertising
Ten years after a rule change allowed
drug companies to advertise directly to consumers, the overall
amount spent promoting medicines is more than 2.6 times what it
was in 1996, researchers said on Wednesday. But
direct-to-consumer advertising, which increased by 330 percent
during that period, still only makes up 14 percent of the nearly
$30 billion the companies spend to advertise their drugs,
according to a New England Journal of Medicine study
written up in The Star Ledger of New Jersey.
Total spending on pharmaceutical ads grew to $29.9 billion in
2005, from $11.4 billion in 1996, an average annual growth rate
of 10.6 percent. The "Ask your doctor about..."
commercials, which sometimes do not even say what a drug is for,
have been widely derided and cited as one reason health-care
costs are rising faster than general inflation. For the
study, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate
School of Public Health looked at industry data from three
market-research firms, as well as data from the FDA (U.S. Food
and Drug Administration) and other government agencies.
The group found evidence that regulators are doing less to
police these ads, as well, noting that the FDA has been sending
out fewer letters to drug companies with warnings that their
commercials are minimizing risks or exaggerating
effectiveness. In 2004, only four FDA staffers were
reviewing such advertisements. "Drug companies know these
ads are a sure way to get patients to request more expensive
drugs that are often not the best choice," said Ruben
Burks, Secretary-Treasurer of the Alliance.
Alliance Activities Across the Country
On Monday, over 300 members and guests took part in the
Florida Alliance's Heath Care Rally in Delray Beach,
Florida. Congressmen Alcee Hastings and
Ron Klein were among the attendees who focused
on universal health care, as well as prescription drug prices
and the pitfalls of Medicare Advantage. Other elected officials,
including Rep. Robert Wexler and New Mexico
Governor Bill Richardson, a candidate for the
U.S. Presidency in 2008, either sent letters or had a
representative present. "Success is when you take the
right issue and make it the popular issue," said Tony
Fransetta, President of the Florida Alliance.
Last Thursday, Edward Coyle, Executive Director
of the Alliance, spoke at the Arizona Alliance's biennial
convention, and George Kourpias spoke yesterday
(Thursday) at the Iowa AFL-CIO convention.
Less Than Three Weeks Until Legislative
Conference!
In just over two weeks - September 4-7,
2007 - the Alliance will hold its National Legislative Meeting
in Washington, D.C. The theme this year is "Building for
America's Future." Sen. Hillary Rodham
Clinton (D-NY) and Rep. Dennis
Kucinich (D-OH), candidates for the Democratic
nomination for U.S. President in 2008, will speak, and we are
working with other presidential candidates on their
availability. The President's Award will be presented to
Elmer Blankenship, President of the Indiana
Alliance, for his lifetime of public service on behalf of older
Americans. The Leadership Award will be presented to Sen.
Debbie A. Stabenow (D-MI) in recognition of her
years of outstanding leadership in the U.S. Congress on behalf
of older Americans. To obtain copies of the official
registration form, either call 1-888-373-6497, email Joni Jones
at jjones@retiredamericans.org
or visit our website at www.retiredamericans.org.
The conference will be held at the Hilton Washington and
Towers. Hotel reservations must be made by calling the
Hilton and Towers directly at 1-888-324-4586. Be sure to
ask for the Alliance for Retired Americans National Legislative
Meeting attendee rate.
Did You Know...
The Pension Benefit
Guaranty Corporation (PBGC) owes 32,000 missing people a total
of $133 million in pension funds. Go to www.pbgc.gov/search to see
if you are on their list!
Become part of a progressive grassroots movement!
Join the Alliance
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Alliance for Retired Americans 815 16th
St, NW Washington, DC 20006 www.retiredamericans.org
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