(NewsNation) — The U.S. life expectancy is declining and it’s not a priority of lawmakers, according to the Food and Drug Administration commissioner who says the nation is facing a public health crisis.
The latest Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vital Statistics Rapid Release Report reveals the average American’s life expectancy hit a nearly 30-year low due to the pandemic.
Although the report indicates a rebound due to decreased COVID-19 deaths, heart disease, cancer, and homicide, there are no bills or legislation on record directly addressing the declining lifespan the U.S.
Dr. Frita Fisher, a nephrology specialist, highlights the urgency for lawmakers to address this concern. He empathized the U.S. has the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries like Norway, Portugal, and Japan, who have life expectancies over 80.
“It’s not a political issue, because quite frankly, if politicians were to launch bills, it could be a losing political issue,” she said. “For example, we know that the number one cause of death among our children is firearm violence. In order to correct this and increase the life expectancy among our children, you would have to have gun reform, you would have to decrease access to guns. And that’s just not a winning political issue, especially for conservatives.”
According to The Washington Post, FDA Commissioner Robert Califf’s warning, summarized by three people with knowledge of the conversations, boiled down to, “Americans’ life expectancy decline remains a pressing public health problem — but not a political priority.”
During an interview, Califf confirmed he’d urged colleagues in “so many” meetings to take action on America’s eroding life expectancy, the outlet reports.
The trend is “quite alarming,” the FDA commissioner said. “All of the leaders within the (Department of Health and Human Services) I’ve talked with about this.”
Fisher also pointed out that chronic issues, such as heart and kidney disease, contributed to the shortened life expectancy of Americans. However, addressing specific populations facing lower life expectancies, such as Native Americans and Black people, requires expanding healthcare access. She said, unfortunately, it is also a “losing political issue for many.”
“A lot of politicians like to steer clear of that, even though our short life expectancy is indeed a public health crisis,” she said.
Fisher asserts that expanded health care access, Medicaid access, and investing in preventive care are needed to tackle this public health issue.
“Unfortunately, physicians don’t get reimbursed very much if they prevent heart disease, prevent diabetes; it’s treating these diseases that will generate revenue. But if there are more incentives in preventive counseling, then we can get to the point where we can shorten healthcare access. And of course, if we have gun reform, we can decrease firearm violence again,” she said.