The American people have a deep sense of fairness. We are angry about the growing pay gap between the top 100 CEOs and the average worker — a gap that has widened from $45 to $1 in 1970, to a staggering $844 to $1 today. (See Runaway Inequality [3])
A new study shows [4] that runaway inequality also is creating a more deadly gap — a growing life expectancy gap between the rich and the poor.
Just as with inequality, there always has been a gap in life expectancy based on income. But something new and disturbing is now underway: The life expectancy gap is accelerating. Runaway inequality is robbing lower income groups of the longevity they deserve.