Living Longer, Not Healthier

How and Why Americans Cheat Death, but Not Sickness

Although COVID recently shortened life expectancy in the U.S., it has still increased by 64 percent over the last 50 years. While a stunning achievement, longer lives do not necessarily mean Americans are living more years in good health. People could be living longer but spend more years in ill health and discomfort, for instance. Alternatively, longer lives could mean additional years of good health. To explore the relationship between health and longevity, we analyze an annual, nationally representative survey administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services between 1998-2021 in the years with a common set of questions about chronic health.