This chart, courtesy of Health Affairs, depicts the mortality rate of women in the U.S. between 1992 and 2006 which increased in nearly 43 percent of all counties. And as you can see, much of this is geographically isolated.
(click for a bigger version)
From The Washington Post
The map is part of a research article by David Kindig and Erika Cheng that was recently published in the journal Health Affairs.
“Although we are accustomed to seeing varying rates of mortality reduction in states and nations,” Kindig and Cheng write, “it is striking and discouraging to find female mortality rates on the rise in 42.8 percent of US counties, despite increasing medical care expenditures and public health efforts.”
The Post does not postulate this, but I will — living in the bible belt is pointedly bad for your health if you’re a woman. You don’t have to be a stenographer to tell someone that but this map puts it in stark contrast.
This also serves the purpose of illustrating just how important it is to preserve the elements of Obamacare that extended preventive and reproductive healthcare to all women.