U.S. Infant Mortality Rate Drops, But Still High

The United States continues to sink in global rankings on infant mortality, with American infants dying at a much higher rate than babies in other developed countries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports the infant mortality rate was 6.78 infant deaths per 1,000 births in 2004, leaving the U.S. in 29th place worldwide, tied with Poland and Slovakia. All told, more than 28,000 infants under age one die each year in the U.S. There is some good news in the report, with the mortality rate taking a significant 2 percent drop in 2006, based on preliminary data.

The report just adds new fuel to the debate over the U.S health care system, where costs are increasing dramatically and some 47 million Americans remain without insurance. Health care has been one of the major issues debated in the presidential campaign, with both Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain proposing significant – and expensive – changes to the system.

Your Money or Your Life, the health care guide in our Voter's Survival Kit, offers key facts and several alternatives for reforming the system, including the pros and cons of each choice. You can get this and the other survival kit guides here.