The political polarization of health outcomes in the USA

(nature.com)

33 points | by geox 2 hours ago

7 comments

  • Arodex 43 minutes ago
    Republicans like to throw around "FAFO" to justify their cruelty.

    Well, Republicans, FAFO.

  • Glyptodon 1 hour ago
    I suspect this is probably more complicated. My family members who live in small towns and rural areas have been having larger health issues and more trouble getting care even if they want to for years if not decades compared to my relatives who live in major urban areas, and particularly those who live in more affluent areas. Like I'd go so far as to estimate that affluent areas metro adjacent are +7 years vs. non-affluent metro areas, which are also like +7 years vs. rural/small town areas or slum/poor metro areas. But I also think the kind of care and non-care my relatives in smaller/rural areas leads to exhaustion, loss of faith in the system, and interest in alternative options.

    But I also don't doubt that adding the modern conservative delusions and paranoia on top of it all only worsens everything.

    • johnea 1 hour ago
      It's well documented that healthcare providers in rural US are diminishing, and yet, they continue to vote for right wing candidates.

      It is important to point out though, that the last opportunity to establish single-payer healthcare in the US was prevented by the democratic party.

      The famous Hillary quote: "Single payer is off the table"

      This is why the RNC has hated on the Clintons so much, and especially Hillary: they were muscling in on republican turf.

  • janalsncm 1 hour ago
    Seems like causality might be reversed here. People become more politically conservative the more jaded they become with the healthcare system.
    • fabian2k 50 minutes ago
      Why would that make you more conservative? Republicans don't have any answers to fix the US healthcare system. It would be far more plausible that someone that experienced the failure of the health care system would vote for a populist position here, and for healthcare the more convincing populist position is certainly the left one.
      • leereeves 2 minutes ago
        The current healthcare system was mostly shaped by the Democrats with the Affordable Care Act (sometimes called Obamacare) at a time when Democrats held a filibuster proof majority.
    • PearlRiver 6 minutes ago
      How do you become jaded with something you do not have access to? Has universal healthcare ever been tried in the US?
    • grahamburger 1 hour ago
      Many people in the US become more liberal as they become more jaded by the (for-profit) healthcare system.
    • pjc50 55 minutes ago
      Isn't it just that they're in the Republican misinformation ecosystem?

      This because extreme over COVID. A particular low point was Herman Cain's Twitter account doing COVID denial while, and after, the man died of COVID.

    • ajross 50 minutes ago
      That's misunderstanding the paper. The correlation here is with outcomes, not support. Republicans may very well be more "jaded" with the healthcare system. But that doesn't explain why they die early.
    • forgetfreeman 1 hour ago
      Through what mechanism does dissatisfaction with our for-profit healthcare system lead to support for eg. expansionist foreign wars or aggressive policing policies?
  • black_13 56 minutes ago
    [dead]
  • fridder 1 hour ago
    Just reading the abstract makes me think of the phrase: Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
  • adampunk 1 hour ago
    Oh well.
  • robocat 1 hour ago
    Would need to affect reproduction for Darwinian effects to matter.

    Encourage deathly extreme sports for kids/teens/20s/30s? Need more hysteric ball betting.

    Build up the belief of rewards in afterlife - vergings towards other religions?

    Win by playing a long game.