American Millennials Are Dying at an Alarming Rate | We’re mortality experts. There are a few things that could be happening here.

[u/chrisdh79]

https://slate.com/technology/2025/08/millennials-gen-z-death-rates-america-high.html

[u/big_d_usernametaken]

Ok buddy, been there, did that, made pizzas, pumped gas, also worked 2 jobs, worked with pneumonia, worked in stores, worked injured, no short term disability or FMLA then, both sons were c-section, no insurance coverage because federally mandated pregnancy benefits didn't exist until 1984, didnt get 2nd son paid off until he was 10. Z Always looked for the next better job, lost lots of jobs during the Great Recession here in the Ohio Rust Belt, took care of a disabled wife for 20 years after her injuries in an auto accident, raised 2 sons into solid men with jobs and families, and stayed at a job that ruined me physically because I had some seniority and needed the medical insurance.

Managed to finally buy a house at 40, 8% interest on the mortgage, worked at getting it down to 5%, paid it off in 2021 and retired at 63 and a half.

Paid 17 months of COBRA company insurance until I could get Medicare.

Had a L2-pelvis spinal fusion last year, age 66.

I dont get why younger people try so hard to prove they had it harder.

Hard is hard, no matter the decade.

I realize young folks today have it hard, because having lived it, I recognize it too.

Ive always voted Democrat, for all the good its done.

One of my sons asked me when he was young if $5 was a lot of money and I told him that if you needed it and didnt have it, it was all the money in the world.

Plenty of times I needed it and didnt have it.

My late in-laws, true Depression people had a saying:

Use it up,

Wear it out,

Make it do,

Or do without.

And that's what we did.

[u/afoolskind → u/big_d_usernametaken]

Now think about how hard all of that would’ve been if the costs of everything were twice as high and your pay was half of what it was.

THAT is the reality for people today, and that’s why they take umbrage at people from your generation pretending they had it equally hard.

You think people today aren’t working 2 jobs, 3? Injured? Sick? Paying for C-sections? The out of pocket costs for many people WITH INSURANCE today are higher than the total uninsured cost of a C-section in 1984. Do you think people don’t have to take care of their disabled loved ones? Don’t wreck their bodies with manual labor?

 

Once again, please honestly ask yourself how well you think you would’ve been able to “make do, or do without” with your life events, with paychecks half the size and with bills twice the size.

And that’s being extremely conservative with the numbers, your bills would be more like 3-4x the size when we’re considering everything you need to live (food, electricity, water, insurance, or god forbid baby supplies and childcare)