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Recent reports revealing that America ranks 41st in global life expectancy have many individuals pointing to our health insurance coverage system as the culprit. But, as many specialists have made clear, medical coverage is only a piece of the puzzle.

According to the Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, "life expectancy in the U.S. has reached its highest point ever, but it is exceeded by the rates in 41 other countries," including most of Europe, Japan, and the Cayman Islands. How can the richest country in the world lag so far behind in terms of the health if its citizens?

One quick and obvious answer is the state of our health insurance coverage system. We pay more into healthcare than any other country in the world, and yet over 43 million people aren't insured and millions are underinsured. This means that they're not getting the kind of checkups and regular medical attention needed to extend life.

But it's more than that. Certainly our health insurance coverage needs a major overhaul, but so does the American lifestyle. With 60% of Americans overweight or obese, Americans are shortening their own lifespan considerably. As one professor is quoted as saying, "The U.S. has the resources that allow people to get fat and lazy," and, "We have the luxury of choosing a bad lifestyle as opposed to having one imposed on us by hard times."