To your point, the key drivers of the recent decline in US life expectancy seem to be suicides, alcohol, and opioids. Some of these are definitely mediated by

To your point, the key drivers of the recent decline in US life expectancy seem to be suicides, alcohol, and opioids. Some of these are definitely mediated by the quality of the health care system, but culture, public policy, and economics have impacts too. https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20180816/us-opioid-abuse-fueling-life-expectancy-decline https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/addiction/news/20180816/...