At the start of the 20th century, the average life span for a person in the United States was only about 48 years for men and just short of 51 for women. Studies in recent years indicate that those numbers have improved to about 75 and 80 years for each respectively.
While the numbers show a big improvement, a comparison of these mortality statistics against other economically developed countries indicates that Americans could be living longer. One factor, according to reports from the National Academy of Sciences and a study from the University of Southern California, is that the U.S. lacks a program to provide easy access to healthcare for everyone.
Other contributing factors are related to lifestyle choices among Americans. Abundant access to low cost, and typically low quality foods, plus a lack of exercise, leads to high percentages of obesity in the U.S. These factors then lead to increased numbers of deaths from heart disease and other controllable factors.