Policy Points In America, wages appear to be growing relative to purchasing power over time. However, while the ability to purchase consumer goods has indeed improved, the cost of basic survival needs such as health care and education has increased faster than wages have grown. America's weakening social policy landscape has led to a massive socioeconomic rupture in which the middle class is disappearing, such that most Americans now cannot afford basic survival needs, such as education and health insurance. Social policies strive to rebalance societal resources from socioeconomically advantaged groups to those in need. Education and health insurance benefits have been experimentally proven to also improve health and longevity. The biological pathways through which they work are also understood.
Keywords: health policy; social determinants of health; social policy.
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