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The urban-rural health divide is costing lives

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

The health disparities between urban and rural areas aren't getting any better, new studies published in Health Affairs confirm.

The big picture: Rural areas fell short of every benchmark for improvement in seven major causes of death, according to one study — and others suggest that the situation may never get better for the 62 million Americans who live in rural parts of the country.

What they're saying: "Communities with large populations that can yield revenue have flourishing health care institutions, while those with fewer residents have lost ground," authors Janice Probst, Jan Marie Eberth and Elizabeth Crouch wrote.

By the numbers: In 2017, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, death and suicide rates were 45% higher in rural than in urban areas.

  • Deaths related to COPD, diabetes and suicide had all gotten worse in rural areas.
  • Overall, mortality rates for coronary heart disease, stroke and cancer were improving, but not as the Department of Health and Human Services wanted.

Go deeper:

Go deeper

Margaret Harding McGill, Sara Fischer
2 hours ago - Technology

Tech scrambles to derail inauguration threats

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Tech companies are sharing more information with law enforcement in a frantic effort to prevent violence around the inauguration, after the government was caught flat-footed by the Capitol siege.

Between the lines: Tech knows it will be held accountable for any further violence that turns out to have been planned online if it doesn't act to stop it.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Dave Lawler, author of World
2 hours ago - World

Uganda's election: Museveni declared winner, Wine claims fraud

Wine rejected the official results of the election. Photo: Sumy Sadruni/AFP via Getty

Yoweri Museveni was declared the winner of a sixth presidential term on Saturday, with official results giving him 59% to 35% for Bobi Wine, the singer-turned-opposition leader.

Why it matters: This announcement was predictable, as the election was neither free nor fair and Museveni had no intention of surrendering power after 35 years. But Wine — who posed a strong challenged to Museveni, particularly in urban areas, and was beaten and arrested during the campaign — has said he will present evidence of fraud. The big question is whether he will mobilize mass resistance in the streets.

Go deeper (<1 min. read)Arrow
Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
2 hours ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 1: A premeditated lie lit the fire

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. Axios takes you inside the collapse of a president with a special series.

Episode 1: Trump’s refusal to believe the election results was premeditated. He had heard about the “red mirage” — the likelihood that early vote counts would tip more Republican than the final tallies — and he decided to exploit it.

"Jared, you call the Murdochs! Jason, you call Sammon and Hemmer!”

Go deeper (6 min. read)Arrow