Coronavirus reminds us that anti-government science denialism kills. We made big gains in life expectancy in 20th c. due to public health regulation and investment: purifying water, vaccines, antibiotics, health and education, auto/road safety, tobacco control, clean air. 1/
The U.S. hasn’t been adequately investing or regulating in the 21st century. Paul Pierson and I explain what went wrong in chapter 1 of our book, American Amnesia. 2/ amazon.com/American-Amnes…
A recent study found that that "every $1 invested in public health departments resulted in a remarkable $67 to $88 of benefits to society." And yet public health spending in the U.S. has fallen as proportion of total health since the Great Recession. 3/ ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/P…
More sobering news: "Although life expectancy and survival rates in the United States have improved dramatically over the past century, Americans live shorter lives and experience more injuries and illnesses than people in other high-income countries." 4/ nap.edu/catalog/13497/…
What's happening right now with the coronavirus is a symptom of much bigger problems in the U.S. public health system. 5/5
