Why Americans die younger than those in other rich nations

Life expectancy in the US fell again for the second year in a row in 2016, meaning Americans' lives are about three years shorter than those of people in 34 similarly wealthy countries, according to the latest data.

Not so long ago, the reverse was true: Americans lived to be 73.9 in 1979, while people in the other countries in world's highest wealth bracket, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), lived to be 72.3 on average.

The flip, recent research suggests, can be traced to the trajectories of changes to healthcare policies in these rich nations.

As other countries expand their social welfare programs to create more equal access, the US offers fewer benefits than any other economically-similar nation and the income inequality gap continues to grow.

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