There is new evidence showing the link between income inequality and premature death. “Avertable Deaths Associated with Household Income in Virginia,” shows that more than 24 percent of deaths in Virginia would not have occurred if the entire state had the same mortality rates as the affluent regions. The research confirms what other studies have shown: income affects health status and longevity. But, researchers say, “its magnitude may not be fully appreciated, and our work has sought to put it in perspective.” This study does so by helping pinpoint the toll — in terms of avoidable deaths — that poverty exacts on a community. “Economic and social policy is health policy,” said Steven Woolf, who is lead author. “People tend to think of jobs, wages, and so on, as separate issues from health reform, but our study shows the powerful interconnections.”
