Death – the ultimate form of inequality
“It no longer makes sense to think of death as the great leveler. Sure, it catches up with everyone eventually, but it generally comes for the poor first. And every year, wealthy Americans seem to get a bigger headstart. Just since 2001, folks in the top 5 percent have seen their life expectancy grow by about 2.5 years. Among the bottom 5 percent, the change rounds to zero.This may count as the most basic, and most visceral, manifestation of rising inequality, where not only do high earners get ever more income, they also get more time, more experiences, and more breaths. And if the unequal distribution of years wasn’t enough, this widening gap in life expectancy has some surprising spillover effects. Among other things, it means richer households are pocketing more and more Social Security income — since every additional month of life brings another check.”