CHE 329 7-1 Journal
According to data from the CDC, COVID-19 will reduce expected lifespan in the United States
by a full year in 2020. The good news is that this pandemic-related decline will probably only be
temporary in the future. The bad news is that the U.S. future's upward march has slowed down
for causes unrelated to the epidemic. In these Fundamental Problems, we examine why America,
which was once a leader in the wealthy world's life expectancy, has since turned into a life
expectancy laggard. Although the series is primarily focused on the United States, it frequently
contextualizes American experience in a global context and occasionally shifts the focus to other
