The US is experiencing an epidemic of high mortality, concentrated in middle-aged White, non-Hispanic persons with high school education or less. This is self-inflicted harm, and is frightening. It is Trump’s political base, and conditions are deteriorating quickly.
For further information, see Alison Burke, “Working class white Americans are now dying in middle age at faster rates than minority groups“, Brookings Institution, 23 March 2017.
Case and Deaton’s full paper can be downloaded here.
Wecare seeing the creeping US disease here in NZ