U.S Not on Par With Other Developed Nation's Infant Mortality Rate
While infant death in the U.S declined 2 percent in 2006, the rate still remains well above other developed nations who pay less for health care, according to The New York Times. In 1960, the U.S ranked 12th lowest in the world for infant mortality, but by 2004 the ranking dropped to 29th lowest.
Premature birth and low birth weight are by far the biggest causes of infant death, according to The Los Angeles Times.
"We as a nation place less emphasis on primary care and prevention than a lot of these other industrialized democracies do that have lower rates than we do," said Dr. Ann O'Malley of the Center for Studying Health System Change, a Washington-based research group.