America ranks 29^th worldwide in infant deaths. Despite spending far more on health care than most nations, America ranks 29^th in infant mortality, tying Slovakia and Poland but lagging behind Cuba, the CDC reports. Racial and ethnic disparities clearly play a role. In 2005, for every 1,000 live births, the infant mortality rate was: 13.63 among non-Hispanic Black Americans and 5.76 among non-Hispanic White Americans. Infant deaths are often seen as a barometer of a country’s overall health. Premature birth is a factor in more than two-thirds of infant deaths. From 2000 to 2005, the U.S. preterm birth rate went up from 11.6 percent to 12.7 percent. The CDC’s latest estimates for international rankings are based on 2004 data. But as of 2005, the numbers haven’t changed much since 2000. Nearly seven U.S. babies die out of every 1,000 live births. More than 28,000 American babies die before their first birthday. In Japan, ranked in third place behind Singapore and Hong Kong, the infant mortality rate is 2.8 per thousand live births — less than half the U.S. rate. In one way, the U.S. has improved since 1960. Back then, 26 in 1,000 infants died. That was good enough to land the U.S. in 12th place. We’ve advanced since then, but not as fast as many other nations. By 1990, the U.S. had fallen to 23rd place. “The U.S. infant mortality rate is higher than rates in most other developed countries,” note CDC researchers Marian F. MacDorman, PhD, and T.J. Mathews. “The relative position of the United States in comparison to countries with the lowest infant mortality rates appears to be worsening.”

Fewer people are able to get employer-sponsored health care.

A new study illustrates a steady erosion of employer- sponsored health coverage between 2000 and 2007. The number of uninsured workers nationally fell by 4 million between 2000 and 2007, with a disproportionate number of uninsured people being young, Black or Hispanic, lower-wage earners, says a new report. Employer coverage also fell for more highly educated workers earning higher pay, according to the Economic Policy Institute, a non-partisan think tank. “Health insurance is a struggle,” said Susan Toalson, executive director of the Urbana Business Association. So many small businesses are struggling with the costs, she said, that she is looking into options for pooling employers to see if they can get lower-cost group rates. Which candidate will address the AIDS crisis in America? With more money going to fight HIV/AIDs abroad than at home, many people are wondering which candidate will actually develop a domestic plan to fight the disease, which infects African Americans disproportiately. Vital Signs has a comparison of the two presidential candidate’s approaches.

TAGS: AIDS, American infant deaths, election, employer sponsored, Health care

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