Mitch McConnell's Kentucky: sick and getting sicker

It is shocking that Kentuckians are some of the least healthy people in the US with the highest cancer rates in the nation, low life expectancy, high infant mortality, and unusually high incidences of depression and obesity. According to a number of health rankings Kentucky lands nearly at the bottom of all 50 states.

Could this be due to weak environmental regulations?

While lawsuite settlements are only a tiny percentage of overall health care costs and people in Kentucky are dying of some of the worst health problems in the country, Mitch McConnell claims junk lawsuits are the biggest health care problem facing Kentucky and the USA. According to the Congressional Budget Office, "the evidence available to date does not make a strong case that restricting malpractice liability would have a significant effect, either positive or negative, on economic efficiency."

Kentucky health quality, poor and getting poorer 

No. 44 in overall health in 2010 down from No. 41 in 2009, according to the United Health Foundation. Could this be do to weak environmental regulations?

No. 43 according to USA Today that measured 20 key measures of wellness, such as rates of obesity, infant mortality, cancer deaths and high school graduation. 

Poor Education contributes to poor health in Kentucky

These studies and a number of additional ones not listed here claim poor education is one of the major contributing factors to the comparatively poor health of Kentucky residents.

Kentucky a health care failure: here's how it ranks among the 50 states
 

No. 1 for Cancer deaths No. 8 for Occupational fatalities. Source: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2009/2010/KY.aspx

No. 1 and climbing for child deaths due to abuse

No. 2 for cigarette smoking. Source: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2009/2010/KY.aspx

No. 3 for depression Source:  http://www.nmha.org/go/state-ranking

No. 6 for obesity. Source: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2009/2010/KY.aspx

No. 8 for Occupational fatalities.Source: http://www.americashealthrankings.org/yearcompare/2009/2010/KY.aspx

No. 9 for teen births

No. 15 for infant mortality. Source: http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2010/ranks/rank17.html

No 44 for life expectancy. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._states_by_life_expectancy

Many Kentuckians are going without health insurance:  

With 16.1% of the population lacking any kind of health insurance, Kentucky ranks 32nd out of the 50 states for number of people insured.  it makes you wonder why Mitch McConnell has pledged to dismantle the recent health care reform legislation, that his constituents desperately need. 

Besides high poverty and unemployment and poor education, could Kentucky's many health problems be related to weak environmental regulations of industries such as coal? Read this:http://mitchmcconnells-kentucky.blogspot.com/2010/12/mitch-mcconnells-kentucky-environmental.html