Wednesday, September 27, 2006

US Healthcare Outcomes

Marginal Revolution highlights a study which finds vast disparities in healthcare outcomes between different portions of the US population. Asian women in Bergen County, New Jersey have a life expectancy of 91.

The main question I think this raises is why, if life expectancies are the result of lifestyle choices to such an extent, they should be included in measures of development such as the HDI. For example, does the Japanese penchant for fish instead of burgers really mean it is more developed?

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