Excess deaths in the United States have continued to mount following the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to an early demise for hundreds of thousands, a new study says.
More than 1.5 million "missing Americans" died in 2022 and 2023, deaths that would have been averted if U.S. death rates matched those of other wealthy nations, researchers reported Friday in JAMA Health Forum.
In fact, nearly 1 of every 2 deaths among people younger than 65 (46%) in 2023 would not have occurred if U.S. death rates mirrored those of peer nations, researchers found.
"The U.S. has been in a protracted health crisis for decades, with health outcomes far worse than other high-income countries," lead researcher Jacob Bor, an associate professor of global health and epidemiology at the Boston University School of Public Health, said in a news release.
"Imagine the lives saved, the grief and trauma averted, if the U.S. simply performed at the average of our peers," Bor added. "One out of every 2 U.S. deaths under 65 years is likely avoidable. Our failure to address this is a national scandal."
