The U.S. is at or near rock bottom among peer countries (Box 1) in protecting the health and safety of its citizens, according to the National Research Council and Institute of Medicine (2013) report U.S. Health in International Perspective: Shorter Lives, Poorer Health.1
Among the findings: the U.S. is at the bottom among peer countries for infant mortality and low birth weight; “years of lost life” from unintentional injuries before age 50 is double that of peer countries; and, the mortality rate for females before age 50 is “forty years behind the average of its peers.”