House Call: Average Life Expectancy Rising, People Living Longer
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Medical news now on a Monday morning. The recent improvement in America's health system seems to be catching a number of doctors by surprise. Our "House Call" this morning, Dr. Sanjay Gupta is out; Elizabeth Cohen is in. Elizabeth -- good morning to you. How much of a surprise, and what are we learning?</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Bill. Many doctors who I've talked to have been surprised by this. They thought we were getting less healthy. It turns out we're getting more healthy and living longer. Let's take a look at the statistics. For a male born in the year 2000, his life expectancy will be 74. A male born in the year 2075, his life expectancy as projected would be 81. That's a big difference for just 75 years. For females, the numbers are 80, and 2075, the number would be 85. So, in other words, would live five years longer. And let's take a look at heart disease rates. From 1989 to 1999, deaths from heart disease down 24 percent. Again, a huge drop in just one decade. Cancer deaths for lung cancer, colon cancer, prostrate cancer, breast cancer, the big killers, those death rates have gone down. Now, you might be wondering, are people living longer just to live disabled in nursing homes? And the answer apparently is no. According to the folks who put these statistics together, they say that people are living longer and living healthier. They're not always living those final years disabled -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: What explains why fewer people are dying from heart disease and cancer?</s>COHEN: Better technology, better diagnosis and better treatment. Also people aren't smoking. There's better technology out there for heart disease and cancer. Also, people have been controlling their blood pressure better -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: And if we could live healthier, it would be worth it to hang around for those extra years. Thanks, Elizabeth.</s>COHEN: Absolutely. Thanks.</s>HEMMER: Elizabeth Cohen in Atlanta on a "House Call." TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com. Longer>