To explain longevity gap, look past health system

With its many uninsured citizens and its relatively low life expectancy, the United States has been relegated to the bottom of international health scorecards, notes this article in the New York Times. But a prominent researcher has found no evidence that America's healthcare system is to blame for the longevity gap between it and other industrialized countries. Instead, the American system in many ways provides superior treatment even when uninsured Americans are included in the analysis, according to the findings.