[aeternum]

If you exclude obese individuals US life expectancy is quite high. Health is the ultimate marginal good so exorbitant expenditure is relatively logical. You can't take the money with you so it often makes sense to spend on health even assuming extreme diminishing returns.

[skissane]

US obesity rates are around 40% of population. Australia, Canada, UK, it is around 30% of population. Canadian life expectancy is 3-4 years higher on average. UK around 3 years higher on average. Australia around 4-5 years higher

Does the gap in obesity rates fully explain the difference in life expectancy? Or are there other factors at play?

I don't think it actually does, because UK has lower obesity rates than Australia (26-29% versus 32%), yet also lower life expectancy (Australia is 81.1 male, 85.1 female; UK is 78.8 male, 82.8 female)

[rich_sasha]

I don't know how well this is represented in your stats, but qualitatively US obesity is incomparable to anything you see in Europe. I don't think 40% vs 30% does it justice.

[Maxatar]

Yes, if you exclude about half of the U.S. population (40% of Americans are obese) [1] then the U.S. has life expectancy that is on par with the rest of the developed world.

[1] https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/obesity-overweight.htm

[Eddy_Viscosity2]

What role does access to health care have I wonder. Canada and Australia (well, ALL other developed nations) have universal healthcare. I know that in the states past 65 they do, but not getting proper health care before then surely puts people at risk of dying earlier. Also, what is the venn diagram of people who are obese and don't have affordable access to healthcare - double whammy.

[46493168]

>If you exclude obese individuals

The obesity rate in the US is 40%. The just-overweight rate is 33%. So unless we really ramp up on tackling obesity, the life expectancy is going be dragged down.

[cthalupa]

Universal access to GLP1s would almost certainly effectively end the obesity problem.

SubQ pen injections are something even most people afraid of needles can get used to quite quickly, so even if the pill forms never get to the same efficacy there's really no reason that they couldn't solve it for most everyone once they go generic and become affordable, or become otherwise subsidized. China already produces the APIs in huge quantities for insanely cheap for sale on the black market, so we know that they can be produced for extremely low costs.

[tempodox]

Only if you’re rich. While the non-rich can’t afford health care.