Sing Tao TV (California, USA) Current Affairs Observation video with English subtitles: The Puzzle of Middle-Aged and Elderly Mortality in the U.S.? “Deaths of Despair”

Johnson Choi: In light of this, many Chinese who have worked hard their entire lives and retired in the United States have decided to return to China to spend a safe and fulfilling retirement.

美國加州星島電視時事觀察視頻有英文字幕: 霍詠強: 美國中老年死亡率的謎思？「絕望之死」（Deaths of Despair）霍詠強

蔡永強: 有見於此，很多在美國退休華人辛苦一生，決定返回中國渡過安全美滿的晚年

https://rumble.com/v74cqmg-the-puzzle-of-middle-aged-and-elderly-mortality-in-the-u.s.-deaths-of-despa.html
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZP8fkXDqW/

年齡標準化死亡率顯著下降
中國：1,200 → 830（↓31%）
印度：1,400 → 950（↓32%）
印尼：1,100 → 810（↓26%）
日本：750 → 570（↓24%，全球最低）
德國：900 → 720（↓20%）
美國：950 → 890（僅 ↓6%，改善最慢）

美國 vs 其他發達國
1990 年：美國預期壽命（75.4）已略低於日本（78.8）和德國接近（74.5）。
2022 年：美國（77.5）落後日本（84.7）7.2 年，落後德國（81.2）3.7 年。
主因：美國在減少可預防死亡（如車禍、槍支、藥物過量、涉毒等）方面幾無改善。

「絕望之死」（Deaths of Despair）
這是一個美國特有的社會現象，主要指因藥物過量、酒精性肝病及自殺導致的死亡。

• 阿片類藥物危機： 美國的藥物管制歷史導致阿片類止痛藥濫用極其嚴重，每年因藥物過量死亡的人數達十萬級別。
• 社會壓力： 隨著製造業流失與貧富差距擴大，受教育程度較低的勞工階層面臨巨大的心理壓力，導致成癮行為增加。

委內瑞拉從來不是毒品產地、也不是美國毒品的主要來源，和鄰近的墨西哥、哥倫比亞、甚至玻利維亞比較，當地打擊毒品的力度更大、成效更高，只是因為海岸線複雜，成為毒販的轉運地。然而，委內瑞拉也只佔美國非法毒品來源約8%，和真正的販毒大戶、佔比高達8成的墨西哥比較，美國是不是綁錯人了？

這個荒誕的藉口背後是毒品泛濫為禍的事實。2024年美國涉毒死亡人數雖然下降，但仍逾8萬人，2023年更多達110,037，如果對這個數目沒什麼概念，也可以想像為每一天美國都有一架滿載乘客的波音787墜毀，機上三百人無一生還，毒品是五十歲以下死亡人口的第一殺手。更現實地看，2024年涉毒致死的數字下跌，並非打擊毒品收效、吸毒者少了，而是擴大使用美沙酮等替代品、推動「安全使用」等消極策略，各地政府加強分發解毒劑納洛酮，這種逆轉阿片類藥物過量的急救藥物，有效降低了致死率。

近年來、由於六成涉毒致死的人群，都曾經服用過芬太尼，其高度殺傷力吸引了美國的所有關注，似乎認為只要打撃了芬太尼就可以挽回許多美國人的性命，忽略了最重要的關鍵，是在誤入歧途那一刻！ 美國服用芬太尼、可卡因的吸毒者，都是從更容易得到、價格更便宜的止痛藥開始。

數據基於全球疾病負擔研究（GBD 2021，由 IHME 發布）

為何醫療保障從來得不到真正關注？醫療體系的「昂貴與不均」：美國人均醫療支出世界第一，但成效卻不佳。

• 缺乏普及的基礎醫療： 美國沒有全民健保，許多低收入者無法負擔常規體檢？現實是許多疾病（如高血壓、癌症）就算發現了，也負擔不起醫療費用。

其結果是，美國人必須是高財富，高效生產力，否則變成低下階層的結果就是被排除掉。

Significant Decline in Age-Standardized Mortality Rates
China: 1,200 → 830 (↓31%)
India: 1,400 → 950 (↓32%)
Indonesia: 1,100 → 810 (↓26%)
Japan: 750 → 570 (↓24%, lowest globally)
Germany: 900 → 720 (↓20%)
United States: 950 → 890 (only ↓6%, slowest improvement)

U.S. vs. Other Developed Countries
1990: U.S. life expectancy (75.4 years) was already slightly lower than Japan’s (78.😎 and close to Germany’s (74.5).
2022: The U.S. (77.5) lags behind Japan (84.7) by 7.2 years and behind Germany (81.2) by 3.7 years.
Main reason: The U.S. has shown almost no improvement in reducing preventable deaths (e.g., from car accidents, firearms, drug overdoses, substance abuse).

“Deaths of Despair”
This is a phenomenon unique to the United States, primarily referring to deaths caused by drug overdoses, alcohol-related liver disease, and suicide.

• Opioid Crisis: The history of drug regulation in the U.S. has led to an extremely severe abuse of opioid painkillers, with annual overdose deaths reaching figures in the hundreds of thousands.
• Social Stressors: With the decline of manufacturing and widening wealth inequality, the less-educated working class faces immense psychological pressure, leading to increased addictive behaviors.

Venezuela has never been a major drug-producing country nor a primary source of drugs for the United States. Compared to neighboring countries like Mexico, Colombia, and even Bolivia, Venezuela has made greater efforts and achieved higher success in combating drugs. It merely serves as a transit point for drug traffickers due to its complex coastline. However, Venezuela only accounts for about 8% of the illegal drug sources entering the U.S. Compared to the true major trafficker, Mexico, which accounts for a high of 80%, hasn’t the U.S. targeted the wrong country?

Behind this absurd pretext lies the reality of the devastating drug epidemic. Although the number of U.S. drug-related deaths decreased in 2024, it still exceeded 80,000. In 2023, the figure was as high as 110,037. To put this number into perspective, imagine a fully loaded Boeing 787 crashing every day in the United States, with all 300 passengers on board perishing. Drugs are the leading cause of death for people under 50 in the U.S. More realistically, the decline in drug-related deaths in 2024 is not due to effective drug enforcement or fewer drug users, but rather passive strategies such as expanding the use of substitutes like methadone and promoting “safe use.” Local governments have increased the distribution of naloxone, an emergency medication that reverses opioid overdoses, which has effectively reduced the fatality rate.

In recent years, because 60% of drug-related deaths involved fentanyl at some point, its high lethality has captured all of America’s attention. It seems there is a belief that simply cracking down on fentanyl could save many American lives. However, this ignores the most crucial point: the moment of going astray! American users of fentanyl and cocaine typically start with more easily accessible and cheaper painkillers.

Data based on the Global Burden of Disease Study (GBD 2021, released by IHME)

Why has healthcare security never received genuine attention? The “High Cost and Inequality” of the Healthcare System: The U.S. has the highest per capita healthcare spending in the world, yet the outcomes are poor.

• Lack of Universal Primary Care: The U.S. does not have universal health insurance. Many low-income individuals cannot afford regular check-ups. The reality is that even if diseases (like hypertension, cancer) are detected, many cannot afford the treatment costs.

The consequence is that Americans must possess high wealth and high productivity; otherwise, the result of becoming part of the lower class is being excluded from the system.