First we were getting shorter, and now it appears that -- compared to other countries -- we're losing ground in life expectancy as well. Though our life spans are actually longer than ever, citizens in 40 countries around the world have life expectancies that are longer than Americans. The U.S. recently slipped to number 41 on the list, down from number 11 just twenty years ago. Countries whose citizens have longer life spans include Japan, Jordan, Singapore, and most of Europe.

So why are we, despite the fact we're one of the wealthiest nations, slipping down the list? Experts have a few opinions:

• 45 million citizens without health insurance
• one of the highest rates of obesity in the world
• racial disparities
• a shockingly high infant mortality rate, compared to other industrialized nations

Whether this information will affect policy or not remains to be see, but health experts say that if we worked toward four goals: reducing tobacco use, controlling blood pressure, reducing cholesterol and regulating blood sugar, we could make a lot of progress toward improving the health of our citizens.