comment: >
  
  The problem is that people who really need help generally aren't the most socially engaged. They never were, so they're not in any clubs, churches or groups
context: Much of it isn’t even Covid. 
  
  COVID-19, drug overdoses, and accidental injury accounted for about two-thirds of the decline in life expectancy, according to the 2022 report. Other reasons included heart and liver disease and suicides.
  The drop in life expectancy would have been even greater if not for a bit of good news: decreases in deaths from chronic lung disease, pneumonia, influenza, and Alzheimer’s disease.
  
  Heart disease, liver disease, suicides… all mostly preventable. Take care of yourself, folks — both your mental and physical well-being. 
  This is also perhaps a useful reminder of the need for truly universal and affordable healthcare. >
  
  They’re mostly all preventable by having a support system and a safety net around people. This country desperately needs it >
  
  Yeah. Both. People used to say America didn’t need a very robust safety net because it had strong communities and civil life. That isn’t true anymore. >
  
  Of course it wasn't true then either... >
  
  I’d say it was true. My grandfather had a lot of close friends — member of the Rotary Club, VFW, bowling league, various civic and mutual aid organizations. My own dad knew every neighbor and was part of the volunteer fire brigade.
  Today organizations like Elks are almost all retirees and fire departments are all professionals. It’s not like it was even 30 years ago. 
  There’s actually a good book from about 20 years ago called Bowling Alone that documents the decline of community and civic life.