HealthDay News — Between 2012 and 2022, mortality increased among adults aged 18 to 65 years, with persistently higher and worsening rates among Black versus White individuals, according to a study published in JAMA Health Forum.

Irene Papanicolas, PhD, from the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island, and colleagues calculated premature mortality rates across US states and Washington, DC, for 2012 and 2022 to examine unrealized Medicare benefits.

The researchers observed an increase in premature mortality in the United States, from 243 to 309 deaths per 100,000 adults between 2012 and 2022, representing an increase of 27.2%. The highest mortality rates were seen in Mississippi (2012) and West Virginia (2022; 337 and 488 deaths per 100,000, respectively), while the lowest rates were seen in Minnesota (2012) and Massachusetts (2022; 185 and 225 deaths per 100,000, respectively). In 2012 and 2022, Black adults had higher premature mortality than White adults (309 versus 247 and 427 versus 316 per 100,000, respectively). For Black and White adults, age- and sex-standardized mortality rates increased by 118 and 68 deaths per 100,000, respectively (38.2% and 27.7%, respectively). Significantly higher premature mortality was seen among Black versus White adults in most states except for New Mexico, Rhode Island, and Utah.

“These are people who contribute to Medicare their entire lives yet never live long enough to use it,” Dr Papanicolas said in a statement. “When you look through the lens of race, it’s clear that one group is increasingly dying before they ever see the benefits of the system they helped fund.”

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