ABSTRACT
Income or wealth inequality drives worse health. Many studies demonstrate more egalitarian societies enjoy better health outcomes for many different indicators, whether based on mortality or other measures. Richer people have better health than poorer folk. The relationship is causal and accepted in many circles but has limited credence in the United States. Inequality causes status anxiety leading to more stress, especially to those with much less but impacts everyone. Many undesirable societal aspects, such as mass shootings and homicides, are linked to income inequality. Today's media compounds awareness of the income or wealth gap. We seek self-respect but the ease of making comparisons, especially with social media, puts us down. Opioid use and drug overdose deaths portray the stress we try to cope with. The rich wield enormous influence to craft policies that enhance their wealth. With pandemic profiteering, America's income and wealth inequality has risen to never-before seen heights. This has resulted in our declining health, which COVID-19 outcomes validate inequality's influence.
