Health Disparities

Last night I watched part one of Unnatural causes… is inequality making us sick? on PBS. The premise of the series is that economic status + education is the single biggest determinant of health in America. This is not controversial as it is well known that life expectancy is tightly correlated with social class in stratified nations and with income in the US. What was remarkable was to see the data presented side by side with very personal stories of how poverty creates health problems which are beyond the control of individuals.