Health disparities in the U.S. lead to hundreds of thousands of unnecessary deaths each year, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If all Americans had equal access to the best preventive care currently available somewhere in the country, roughly 20% to 40% of premature deaths from the five leading causes of death could be avoided, CDC researchers calculated. Every year, about 895,000 Americans under the age of 80 die as a result of heart disease, cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, stroke and accidents, government data show. But many of them didn't have to.
