UTopiAH is a series about life expectancy – how long we live – from 1960 to 2016. Medical conditions rank states. UTopiAH’s #1 health rankings are recorded. Statistical probability indicates a politicizing of these life expectancy tables since 2012.

Part Twelve. How does Infant Mortality impact UTopiAH’s #1 ranking of life expectancy? As noted in Part One, the Census and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ranked Utah #1, as best or fewest infant deaths for 2005.

Matthew 9:22 But Jesus said, Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.

For six decades, 1940-2000, life expectancy, was based on the census taken every ten years. States were rank ordered based on the longevity of their residents’ lives. Longevity have been the basis for commercial uses, health programs, governmental budgets, and forward planning. Commercial uses include 1) annuity tables for retirement investments, how long the annuity will be needed to provide a life time income, and hence its cost; 2) life insurance tables for payment of death benefits and when they will be due, and hence the premium; 3)   long term care, and others. Health programs use include age related maladies and hospitalization. 4) Governmental budgets include Medicare, Medicaid, Obamacare, development, public health, education, transportation, and national security. 5) Forward planning includes water resources, urban planning, social services, and family growth,.   Progress or decline in life expectancy, takes decades.   For instance noting that Utah’s life expectancy ranked 6^th in 1960, Utah climbed to 2^nd in 1970, back to 3^rd in 1980, and topped out to 1^st by 1990. It is even harder to move among ranks the larger the population in the State. California’s population is ten times Utah’s. California’s life expectancy ranked 19^th in 1960 census, climbed to 14^th in 1970, 18^th in 1980, and dropped back to 32^nd in 1990.

How can it be that UTopiAH’s #1 lowest infant death ranking in 2005 dropped to the 15th rank in 2016? The statisticians at the CDC changed to an ‘age-adjusted’ population rate ranking.

What was the effect of Age-Adjusted population Longevity ranking? The age-adjusted population death rates began by 2012, in the NCHS, for quantifying 2000 census data.   Within 5 years, another estimated census for 2015 was age adjusted in 2018. Age Adjusted Life expectancy rankings also just happen to very strongly correlate to states’ Presidential election voting, with Blue states filling all 10 slots in the top quintile, and Red states filling all slots in the bottom quintile. Census was ignored.

Red state Utah’s life expectancy was previously ranked 1^st (best, and longest life expectancy) in the census of 1990 (as reported in 2004), and well within the top quintile for the previous decades’ census. But with the new age adjusted population computation, Utah’s age adjusted life expectancy rank dropped to an age adjusted rank of 10^th for census of 2000 (as determined in 2012), and an age adjusted rank of 13^th for 2015 (as determined in 2018).

Red state North Dakota, held life expectancy 1^st ranks in the census of 1960 and census of 1970, 2^nd rank in 1980 and 3^rd rank in census of 1990. dropped to an age adjusted rank of 5^th in census of 2000 (again as determined in 2012), and an age adjusted rank of 12^th for census estimates for 2015 (as determined in 2018).

Blue state California’s life expectancy, consistently down in the second and third quintiles in previous 20^th century census, from 32^nd in the census of 1990 (as determined in 2004) leaped to an age adjusted population rank of 8^th for census 2000 (as determined in 2012) , top quintile, and once in the top quintile, California achieved an age adjusted population[ rank of 3^rd for 2015 (as determined in 2018).

‘Age adjusted population’ changed the results of the rankings for all the states. Blessing Blue states and cursing Red states. Focusing life expectancy ranks on age adjusted population, means the ranks are now determined, not by census counts, but by political results and the preferences of the compiler.

Infant Mortality Rates by State 2016 & 2005

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/ stats_of_the_states.htm

Death Rates¹ 2016

United States 5.9, 0 – 4.8, 4.8 – 5.8, 5.8 – 6.2,6.3 – 7.3 ,  7.4 – 9.1

Data Table

The number of infant deaths per 1,000 live births.

Source: https://wonder.cdc.gov

Infant Mortality Rates by State, 2005

Death Rates¹

United States 7.1, 4.7 – 5.9, 6 – 6.7, 6.8 – 7.4, 7.5 – 8.2, 8.2 – 11.5

Data Table

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