HealthThis Is What Stalled Progress Looks Like for Women's Health What's going on: Modern medicine has pulled off miracles — but for some women in the South, it might as well still be 1900. A new Yale study tracked the life expectancy of nearly 180 million Americans across generations, not just year by year, to get a clearer view of long-term health trends. The biggest takeaway? In parts of the South, women’s life expectancy has barely budged in a hundred years. In West Virginia and Mississippi, girls born in 2000 are expected to live just one to four years longer than their great-grandmothers. (Yes, all that science and that’s it.) Not all of the South is stalling: Florida, Texas, and Virginia rank among the top 20 states for life expectancy. Meanwhile, women in New York and California got a major longevity glow-up, gaining 15 to 20 years compared to those born a century ago. The biggest jump? Women in Washington, DC, are living 30 years longer — not bad for a city known as “the Swamp.” What it means: Researchers are clear: This isn’t biology — it’s about policy. States that expand Medicaid, invest in maternal care, raise wages, and fund education see better health outcomes. Cities like DC also benefit from stronger infrastructure, more health care providers, and higher incomes. And while women tend to outlive men, they also face steeper gaps in care — from reproductive and mental health to economic opportunity. That’s especially true in rural and underfunded communities, where fewer doctors, lower incomes, and health care deserts (think limited access to OBGYNs in the South post-Roe) stack the odds. Experts say there’s no quick fix — these kinds of shifts play out over generations. No pressure, it’s just our life expectancy on the line. Related: Study Links Everyday Plastics to Global Heart Disease Deaths (CNN) | 
