We’re obsessed with longevity these days… but beneath the supplements and biohacks is a harder truth: the wealth and mortality gap. A new NEJM study digs into how money shapes lifespan across the U.S. and Europe. Strip away the longevity hype and ask a simple, less sexy question: does the money in your bank account buy you more years on this planet?
That’s what Dr. Irene Papanicolas, Professor of Health Services Policy and Practice at Brown University, and her colleagues asked in a recent paper in the New England Journal of Medicine. Spoiler: the answers sting a little, especially if you’re American.
The study looked at data from over 73,000 adults across the U.S. and Europe to examine the links between wealth and mortality. They compared the wealthiest quartiles to the poorest, dug into concepts like the “survivor effect,” and asked a haunting question related to wealth and mortality gap: why do wealthy Americans die earlier than poor Europeans?
We unpack:
* How “wealth” was actually defined.
* The life expectancy gaps between the U.S. and Europe.
* Why American outcomes lag (hello diet, food environment, culture, and the absence of universal healthcare).
* Which European countries are pulling ahead when it comes to protecting longevity.
* And what policies could actually move the needle tomorrow.
It’s not just a numbers game. It’s about how systems are built, what we regularly eat and drink, what societies choose to value, what societies choose to protect, and how the so-called “American Dream” sometimes comes with an earlier funeral date.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation on Causes or Cures here!
📖 Read the paper: NEJM: Wealth, Mortality, and the U.S.–Europe Gap
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About the guest:
Dr. Irene Papanicolas is a health economist and Professor at Brown University. She leads the International Collaborative on Costs, Outcomes and Needs in Care (ICCONIC), a 16-country partnership studying care patterns and outcomes for high-need, high-cost patients. She’s published widely on health system performance and international comparisons.
Let me know what you thought after you listen! :)
Also worth checking out in the blog:
Rethinking Medications: Dr. Jerry Avorn on the drugs we take
Preaching to the Choir Leaves the Town Cold
Watch a short clip from my Youtube channel: