Bernie Sanders Says ‘Stress Kills’ As He Highlights A 7-Year Life Expectancy Gap Between The Working Class And The Wealthy
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) is calling attention to a major problem in America: economic stress is cutting lives short. In fact, Sanders bluntly says, “Stress Kills.” According to a report released last week by Sanders, the working class lives an average of seven years less than the wealthiest Americans.
“The massive income and wealth inequality that exists in America today is not just an economic issue, it is literally a matter of life and death,” Sanders said.
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The report, published by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, found that Americans in the wealthiest 1% of counties live an average of 84.3 years, while those in the bottom 50% of counties live only 77.4 years. The disparities are even worse in rural areas, where people in low-income counties face a 10-year life expectancy gap compared to wealthier urban and suburban areas.
One of the most striking comparisons in the report shows that Loudoun County, Virginia, one of the richest counties in the country, has a life expectancy of 84 years, while McDowell County, West Virginia, which is just 350 miles away, is one of the poorest, and has a life expectancy of 69 years—a 15-year difference.
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At a recent event in Altoona, Wisconsin, Sanders asked working people how economic stress impacts their lives. The responses were raw and painful.
“Trying to find a way to plan a meal until your next paycheck comes,” one woman said. “Forget about buying shoes and clothes for your kids,” another added. “Psychological warfare,” a man described the stress of barely scraping by.
Sanders said if the United States were a poor country, this might be understandable, but it’s not. “We are the richest country in the history of the world. There is no excuse for people dying young because of that stress.”
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The report includes testimonies from Americans across the country who described how financial pressure is impacting their health.
Patrick from Missouri shared, “We are always just one financial emergency from being homeless.”
Caitlan from Colorado, who has a congenital heart defect, explained that financial stress is physically harming her. “Every surge of anxiety, every sleepless night worrying about bills, isn’t just mentally exhausting—it physically wears on my heart.”
Hannah from Wisconsin said, “I’ve never felt safe my entire life because I’ve never been financially stable. I will never be happy because I am always one paycheck away from being homeless.”
The U.S. ranks behind other developed nations when it comes to life expectancy. While the wealthiest Americans live as long as people in Japan (84 years) and Switzerland (84 years), the working class has a life expectancy similar to Argentina (77 years) and Poland (77 years). The poorest rural areas in America (72 years) are on par with El Salvador (72 years) and Cambodia (71 years).
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Sanders argues that these disparities are preventable and has outlined several policy proposals to improve life expectancy for working-class Americans:
Raise the minimum wage to at least $17 an hour so workers can afford basic necessities.
Medicare for All, ensuring health care is a right, not a privilege.
Paid family and medical leave, making the U.S. consistent with other developed nations.
Affordable education, from child care to graduate school, regardless of income.
Expand Social Security and restore pension plans to give retirees financial security.
Sanders is urging lawmakers to act on these findings, saying that the consequences of inaction will be dire.
“The deepening divide in life expectancy will further entrench economic inequality, making it even harder for working-class families to break out of poverty,” the report warns.
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This article Bernie Sanders Says ‘Stress Kills’ As He Highlights A 7-Year Life Expectancy Gap Between The Working Class And The Wealthy originally appeared on Benzinga.com
