Ill-Merica (9)

America is sick, and there's research to prove it.  According to studies presented by Paul Krugman in his article, "Our Sick Society," America is statistically more sick than the English.  When looking at the results, it seems that simply being American does more damage for your health than even race and social status.  Why is this happening?  A couple ideas as to why the health of American's in general is so poor has to do with health care, and overworking ourselves.  The healthcare provided to the English, for example, might actually be better than the health care offered to Americans.  Krugman writes, "It's possible that Britain's National Health Service, in spite of its limited budget, actually provides better all-around medical care ... because it takes a broader, longer-term view than private insurance companies," validating the issue of quality health care in the U.S.  The other issue of overwork still prevails in this study.  For example, Paul Krugman explains that, "... Americans work too hard and experience too much stress. Full-time American workers work ... about 46 weeks per year; full-time British, French and German workers work only 41 weeks a year. I've pointed out in the past that our workaholic economy is actually more destructive of the 'family values' ... than the European economies in which regulations and union power have led to shorter working hours," revealing that the European's included in this study already work less than the average American.  Taking this all into consideration, it's easy to see that the one thing the American's can change (for the most part) is overwork.  The topic of overworking ourselves is a common theme when studying sleep in the workforce, and clearly it's a true problem if it's causing American's to become even sicker as we age.  

Krugman, Paul.  "Our Sick Society."  EconomistsView.  NYT, 5 May 2006.  Web.  29 September 2015.