States of Despair: Understanding Declining Life Expectancy in the United States

This briefing informed policymakers and the public on the drivers and impacts of declining life expectancy in the U.S. as well as highlighted the development of state and federal policy solutions to address these trends.

Public Briefing 

“Deaths of despair”–deaths from suicide, alcohol, and drug abuse–are steadily rising across the United States. The Commonwealth Fund’s recently released 2018 State Scorecard on State Health System Performance indicates that the average life expectancy at birth declined for the second year in a row. This briefing informed policymakers and the public on the drivers and impacts of these trends as well as highlighted the development of state and federal policy solutions to address them.

Moderator: 

  • Sarah J. Dash, MPH, president and chief executive officer, Alliance for Health Policy

Panelists

  • Marvin Figueroa, Ed.M., deputy secretary, Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources, Commonwealth of Virginia
  • Richard T. McKeon, Ph.D., MPH, chief, Suicide Prevention Branch, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
  • Anand Parekh, M.D., MPH, chief medical advisor, Bipartisan Policy Center
  • David Radley, Ph.D., MPH, senior scientist, Tracking Health System Performance, The Commonwealth Fund
  • Joe Thompson, M.D., MPH, president and chief executive officer, Arkansas Center for Health Improvement

 

The Alliance is grateful to The Commonwealth Fund for its support for this briefing