We wrote last week about the Palmetto State’s terrible rankings when it comes to sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) – but where does South Carolina rank when it comes to the major causes of death?
You know, fatal diseases and the like …
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released fresh data on that subject this week … and the numbers are not good (assuming you are a Sandlapper).
South Carolina is listed among the top fourteen states in America on ten key mortality rankings – stroke (No. 6), Alzheimer’s (No. 6), homicides (No. 8), sepsis deaths (No. 10), diabetes (No. 12), liver disease (No. 12), accidental deaths (No. 12), firearm injuries (No. 12), hypertension (No. 14) and cancer (No. 14).
The state is also in the top twenty on four additional mortality rankings – heart disease (No. 16), kidney disease (No. 16), infant deaths (No. 16) and lung disease (No. 17).
Unacceptable, right? Indeed … especially considering the soaring costs of taxpayer-subsidized health care in the Palmetto State.
[su_dominion_video_scb]Our view? This data is yet another example of the extent to which broad swaths of South Carolina – and the rural South – have become a third-world country.
It is sad … and yet sadly predictable.
Also sadly predictable? Reflexive responses from both ends of the ideological spectrum to the release data like this. Liberals will instinctively demand (and usually receive) more government spending – much of which is wasted on fraud and unnecessary bureaucracy. Meanwhile conservatives (including this news outlet) like to respond with nauseatingly nonspecific references to the free market as a panacea.
Which it may be … but we need to show our work.
One specific free market reform we support? Continuing to repeal many of the onerous mandates associated with Obamacare, which have resulted in soaring health insurance premiums as well as sky-high deductibles that make most plans virtually impossible for low-income and middle-income Americans to afford.
Getting rid of Obamacare’s insidious individual mandate was an important first step in the process, but other layers of the socialized medicine monstrosity must be addressed – including the “essential benefits mandate” that unnecessarily drives up health insurance costs.
Ultimately, though, the real challenge is figuring out how to get more people to live healthier lifestyles – i.e. making better dietary choices and getting regular exercise.
WANNA SOUND OFF?
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