Whoops.

Apparently, we could be doing a much better job taking care of ourselves. The American Human Development report ranks the United States as the 12th wealthiest country in the world, but we only rank 42nd (!!!) in the world for life expectancy, despite spending more on health care per person than any other country.

The good news is that our life expectancy has increased four times since 1960, but the bad news is that we could be living a lot longer. The report cited obesity and the lack of health insurance for 47 million Americans as the "most significant factors in premature death." If we had the infant mortality rate of Sweden (figures Sweden would be in first-place), 20,000 fewer infants would die every year.

The report also tracked the differences between regions in the United States, and, sadly, Mississippi ranked at the bottom of the list of states. The people in the worst districts in the United States are 30 years behind the living standards achieved by people in the wealthiest regions. The good news is that the best region in the United States is the Northeast. We have more money, more education, and longer life-expectancy than people in any other region. (Whew!! At least, there's a silver lining!)