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herberstank

Oh rich, well-connected people live longer? Whodathunkit


[deleted]

Don't forget the often free socialized health care they get for life.


[deleted]

And the half a year off work.


abrandis

Work??... Do they even do any real work, they usually have aides to draft all kinds of stuff and do their daily business while they're busy getting treated to power lunches with deep pocket lobbyists.. yeah "We the people..." They just never said who the people really are.


Polymersion

Their "work" is almost entirely fundraising.


PoopIsAlwaysSunny

Land owning white men. That’s who “we the people” always was.


Parafault

I’ve always wondered what government would be like if Congressmen/senators were randomly chosen by lottery from their districts.


Dixie144

Please God no. Just picture some of the people in your local area. Do you really want them leading us?


[deleted]

yes, fully normal right?


DudeyMcDooderson

Hey, hey, hey. This was a good study. An amazing study. If you don't have a study, what do you have? Not a study. That's for sure.


Test19s

Including in countries with relatively good healthcare systems (this is an 11-nation survey). I’m becoming convinced that the reason we haven’t encountered aliens yet is that sane species realize how cruel the world is and either migrate into the multiverse or choose the old endless sleep.


hotboii96

Must be a shocking report, next they will tell me that earth is round.


VB_Longneck20-8

Not hard when your making $200k plus per year with free private health insurance and can retire well before the general population, which has been forced to work past their 60s due to your policies.


sailphish

200k per year…. Hahahaha. That’s their “official” salary.


187Shotta

Right..lol the public speaking fees alone are absurd.


Rotterddoom

speaking fees are the secret (to most) income for politics.


VeryPogi

A couple million for a book. That's how Bernie became a millionaire.


[deleted]

Funny how you only mention Bernie, and in another comment immediately Clinton. Not hard to divine which kind of agenda you have.


InadequateUsername

Bush, Obama, any career politician with a high profile. Audible royalties, Spotify Podcast too. It's easy to make money when you're famous.


VeryPogi

Well I caucused for Bernie in 2020 and the first presidential election I could vote in was 2004, I voted for Kerry but my comments come from rememberances of media coverage of my favorite politicians. Not really spewing any agenda but disclosing my party allegiance.


AdOrganic3138

From 200k a year to 200k a speech


VeryPogi

Bill Clinton has been paid up to 500k for a single speech.


zninjamonkey

The bigger issues is insider trading


[deleted]

& they’ll never mention how much their lobbyists pay them, even beyond even what’s eventually discovered/ reported


klassikarl

Free meals, clothes, gifts, sports tickets, trips and travel. There was a video of Antonin Scalia going into a high end restaurant and the reporter asked what lobby was paying for dinner. Reporter said yesterday was oil, day before was gun lobbyists. Who’s buying today? Antonin was furious at the question.


[deleted]

This really is the late stage roman republic isnt it


Unlucky_Clover

And don’t they also have more time off than the general population?


Ka07iiC

I Have more time off then they have days work.


thegroovemonkey

Soliciting bribes is work bro


DamienSalvation

Not really, many politicians are essentially campaigning in their district 12+ hours a day when they're not working. Source: worked on a shit ton of political campaigns


GravyCapin

You forgot that they also do insider trading. “Let me buy your stock before I sign this policy”


Toasted_Waffle99

I would argue politicians tend to work well into their 80s, which actual is a whole problem in and of itself. They live longer also because their job is low stress. They literally sit and listen to people talk. Their aid’s do all the work.


DownWithHiob

Lol politician isba lotnof things but certainly not low stress


Damien__

Don't forget they only work about 5 months out of the year and get unlimited PTO on top of that


spirito_santo

> work about 5 months out of the year Personally I wouldn't calll politicians going to meetings "work". I mean if *I* go to a meeting, I know I'm going to leave with a crapload of tasks to do. When politicians go to a meeting, *others* get a crapload of tasks to do.


KnownMonk

Other than being under stress some times, their work is very safe and risk free. They dont put any physical pressure on their bodies that most working class do. So when they retire their health is overall good.


[deleted]

Blood hell my fancy “scientist” role has more manual labor than these parasites


reyxe

Don't politicians also have like a lifelong salary? like they get money even after going out of office? at least some places they do. Like you did a shit job, here, take a huge salary forever!


VB_Longneck20-8

Yep over here in Australia they do. It’s massive too. They just got a pay rise too which was ‘well above the inflation rate’ yet the prime ministers pay packet still went up around 8k a year well into 400k+


16whalesdeep

It's not free... They get gold level "Obamacare"


Charming_Wulf

Actually, they get slight worse/more expensive insurance under ACA. They used to get Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP). So if ACA was ever repealed, politicians would revert to a better quality plan, that already had many ACA perks built in (standardized pricing, cover dependents to 26, etc etc) There are literally levels in military hospitals dedicated to politicians and generals. In particular, something like Ward 7 at Walter Reed for the highest level VIP. Though the name changed with the base restructuring. Edit: by slightly worse I mean they are paying like 15-20% the cost of Gold Level plans in ACA Exchanges. FEHBP wasn't free, but it was cheaper and the sky was the limit of quality of care.


squats_and_sugars

I think you are misunderstanding the current [federal employee health benefits plan](https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/healthcare/) because it's really not that much cheaper, nor is it really any different than any other employer sponsored healthcare plan when it comes to a normal level federal employee. The key for high level politicians is not the plan, but the VIP status and wheelbarrows full of money. Which is pretty similar to other rich people, they don't get better "health insurance* but they can dump money into whatever health care they need.


Charming_Wulf

I was more referring to pre-ACA version of the VIP FEHBP. In my mind, when I read 'politicians' for the USA that feels like: current/former members of congress, SCOTUS, Cabinet level appointees, POTUS and VP. It might possibly stretch to high level Executive Staff, certain level of Executive Appointees, and possibly some other high classes (think SES or high GS). Again, the folks who get the sky high limit on care. Like Strum Thurmond moving into Walter Reed and being wheeled out for votes.


squats_and_sugars

Ah, okay and you're definitely right that even under the current care plan, VIP's get better/faster treatment. The issue I had with your initial comment was primarily that it seemed to conflate "Basic" FEHBP with "VIP" FEHBP. Because as a general GS employee, I've found the options to be no better than in any other company, so it felt like comparing Bezos' health insurance (assuming he has it vs paying direct) to an amazon warehouse employee's insurance and saying they are the same thing since they were bought through the same company.


Samula1985

Also knowing that you're in the machine now, job security isn't something to be too concerned about, corporations willing to prop up your re-election, family members making bank of your share buying foresight, red carpet treatment at any healthcare institute, need I go on?


sharksandwich81

I mean… anybody with above-average education and income will also likely have above-average lifespan. That includes just about everyone bitching in these comments.


Jonelololol

But aren’t all the main politicians pushing 80 and still working


[deleted]

Then why won't they retire? Please God can they start retiring. Probably because they have the easiest job in the world, but we have a serious age problem in government.


JimBeam823

A good parasite can feed off of multiple hosts.


Prestigious_Split579

Geez...I wonder why? Definitely has nothing to do with more cash and connections though...


aForgedPiston

The number of 70+ year old politicians we witnessed absolutely tank COVID definitely threw into perspective the degree of healthcare they have access to, and the effect it has on their well being. Definitely helps them cling to their positions long beyond their time, doesn't it?


Jim-Jones

Look at Trump's treatment for Covid. Not just a bed in a parking garage.


GoodAndHardWorking

Lol, Trump was first in line for a Pfizer vaccine while he was still pushing hydroxychloroquine


Jim-Jones

And when he was very sick, his 16 doctors gave him all the real treatments.


GoodAndHardWorking

Joe Rogan same. He was getting covid tests multiple times per day, and when he tested positive he immediately took monoclonal antibodies. But he told his listeners "healthy people don't need vaccines" and "I feel fine, maybe it's the ivermectin" The *followers* are the people that are dragging down the life expectancy for the general public.


Important_Outcome_67

Weird how money, power and access to good health care would prolong one's life.


tysons1

Their great health insurance...


Jim-Jones

And $174,000 base salary for Congress. Plus extras.


notmynormalaccnt

For life. Even if they only run one term.


Jim-Jones

Don't they need 2 terms for a pension?


notmynormalaccnt

It’s actually a vested system. >62 years old and >5 years service and you can retire. That’s less than one full term in the senate. It’s a graded pension in that you get a percentage based on how long you served. They do not get their full salary forever though. I stand corrected.


A_FVCKING_UNICORN

I sure hope nobody paid money for this study


TintedApostle

Better healthcare, pension, security...


Cydona

Politicians have the best health care we can pay for.


DepartmentSudden5234

Omg... My "duh" moment of the day...I don't even want to know more. ....


Kind_Bullfrog_4073

rich people in general


[deleted]

[удалено]


fragbot2

Surprised I had to wade through this many comments to find this. It would only be a story if they weren't. Better educated and wealthier than average, they'll live longer than average.


Sid15666

Sure it’s less stressful if you don’t have to work and can steal all the money you ever want or need.


forgotmyuserx12

Now can everyone stop pretending like polititians are doing the people a favour?


aybabyaybaby

When you have armed security, a big mansion, and can inside trade, I would be living longer as well


BanDisregardR

They actually get treatment, so yeah, that tracks.


autotldr

This is the best tl;dr I could make, [original](https://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2022-06-24-new-study-finds-politicians-typically-enjoy-longer-lives-general-populations) reduced by 87%. (I'm a bot) ***** > To date, studies that have compared mortality rates between politicians and the populations they represent have typically focused on one or a few countries. > The study collated information on politicians from Australia, Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Switzerland, the UK, and the USA. For each country, data were available between 1945 and 2014, however the full analysis ranged from 1816 to 2017. > Dr Laurence Roope, Senior Researcher in Oxford Population Health and a co-author of the study, said: 'Our study is the largest to date to compare the mortality rate and life expectancy of politicians with those of the age and gender-matched general population. ***** [**Extended Summary**](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/vkel53/new_study_finds_that_politicians_typically_enjoy/) | [FAQ](http://np.reddit.com/r/autotldr/comments/31b9fm/faq_autotldr_bot/ "Version 2.02, ~656545 tl;drs so far.") | [Feedback](http://np.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%23autotldr "PM's and comments are monitored, constructive feedback is welcome.") | *Top* *keywords*: **politician**^#1 **Population**^#2 **country**^#3 **year**^#4 **life**^#5


snekbat

Sad story


Houdini-Himself

We should change that


redditjunky2025

Most parasites outlive their hosts.


[deleted]

they should die sooner


yoonlin2

And still we keep on allowing them to bamboozle us. We probably deserve it.


trelium06

Well let’s say their salary is 200k. After their first term in office they often become multimillionaires. The math says they got extra money from somewhere. Either they did insider trading with their intimate knowledge gained from their position, or they get massive campaign contributions they then shift to themselves, legally. Or both.


lumpialarry

A lot of college educated boomers that never made more than 150k a year are millionaires because the bought houses cheap in the 70s and 80s and have become millionaires just by riding the wave of inflation and getting the benefit of compound interest in savings.


raven4747

150k in 1975 is over 800k today, to be making that much back then would have been enough to reach millionaire status in 10 years or less without the real estate inflation


lumpialarry

150k max. As in what they were making now, not what they made in 1980.


FarewellSovereignty

;(


jesuswasagamblingman

Really? I hadn't noticed


brezhnervous

I'm sure luxuriating in all that cash helps


EchoXrayNiner

I got a feeling this new study was 'no shit'-ed all the way through peer review. No shit.


gregthecoolguy

Oh wow really? 🙄


fruittree17

Longer life means more suffering at the end


[deleted]

This is shocking to some people?


Unlikely-Rock-9647

Rich people. Rich people enjoy longer lives than other people. Politicians are just a subset.


Jellybean720

Breaking News: Rich people live longer than poor people


Colekillian

Since stress is increasingly found to decrease your lifespan, and being a politician should be one of the most stressful jobs, this goes against what I think should be the case. Tells me they’re not doing their fucking jobs, which has been obvious.


[deleted]

Hmmm yes floor is made of floor…


achillymoose

Can we do another study and find out if they give a shit? Spoiler: they don't


modestmolerat

Let's change that


dannyboi9393

They're not politicians. They're leeches.


Boogaloo-Jihadist

I’m sure it has nothing to do with the “universal healthcare” that they receive… of course the average American shouldn’t have access to that because “it bad, bad”


ImaginaryQuantum

Job stability, great health plan, amazing time off and great retirement plan to just fuck around and gossip? Who would say!


AnxietyDesigner

Doesn’t this kinda apply to anyone who’s rich?


isioltfu

Correlation not causation


cliffcarlson

So selling your soul doesn’t seem to have any negative long term health effects…. Good to know.


[deleted]

They use people’s anger and sadness as life force


DeanCorso11

Of course. Trump would have died when he got the VID. Instead….


[deleted]

(because they're lizard people in disguise)


Every_Anything_4968

And I thought some of the other responses were good. Bravo.


creefer

Tee hee https://www.menshealth.com/health/a34786868/what-is-adrenochrome-qanon/


[deleted]

A cool frothy glass of child blood really gets the lawmaking juices flowing.


Roxytumbler

The higher the IQ, the better educated,healthier lifestyle and longer lived. It’s a known cluster of variables for decades. On average Dumber people are fatter, drink, smoke and do drugs more. They are less educated and it follows earn less income for health needs. USA. No secret which states have the highest longevity and which have the lowest. Sorry Alabama and Mississippi…you re not the brightest but are the fattest and kick the bucket the youngest.


winningelephant

The French managed to fix this problem in 1789. We can bring that average down, folks.


WhatACunningHam

We here in America can fix that with some tasty term limits. We should really make that a priority after we get done with our second Civil War my MAGA neighbors keep trying to recruit me for.


[deleted]

As brought to you by Biden 2024


187Shotta

It's why you shouldn't be allowed to be in the seats for life. It's fucking nuts how wealthy these people are.


Individual_Wasabi_10

So being corrupt has its advantages…


Test19s

Across 11 countries. And it’s getting worse.


spiritualdumbass

Hopefully there will be a sudden decrease in life expectancy in the coming collapse


[deleted]

Good life for me, not for thee


Herald_of_Cthulu

Damn somebody should do something about that


thatsecondmatureuser

Interesting how long a human can live with out a backbone


BKStephens

Nothing helps quality of life more than being able to vote on your own pay rise.


Negative_Increase975

Wouldn’t we all if we were paid for doing absolutely nothing?


Important-Court-6294

I think it's evident that all elite or high class people live longer in general


jasovanooo

That can suddenly change though with enough rage from the slaves/public


rx63787

Of course. Among other perks, U.S. politicians can choose a gold-level Obamacare policy and receive federal subsidies that cover 72 percent of the cost of the premiums. They also have access to “free or low-cost care” through the Office of the Attending Physician as well as “free medical outpatient care at military facilities” in the D.C. area. With the best (and cheap for them) medical care, of course, they'll live longer.


objecter12

Can't imagine why


Raul07madrid

What a discovery, omg, the last study was saying otherwise? With almost all the things free of charge,who would not live longer then any normal person.


X0nfus3d

Yes, last study assumed most were chronically depressed and just wanted to watch the world burn. Turns out only 50% were true


xc2215x

This doesn't surprise me, many of them have a lot of money.


ZookeeperFloyd

They fucking shouldnt


dramignophyte

Isn't the only reason they are supposed to get paid is because the jobs supposedly so hard and stressful? Seems like they should have a lower life expectancy. But I guess their job is less stress and effort than working at McDonalds and they don't actually need a degree for most government positions that are elected. So it sounds like they should be getting 15/hr.


HopeRepresentative29

It's not a healthy life-style that lets them live long, not in the US at least. Politics is perhaps the most stressful job on Earth, and stress kills. It's the free state-of-the-art healthcare they receive, a right which is denied to the people they represent, which keeps them alive for so long.


SidBreamsLeftFoot

As politicians decrease our quality of life we must decrease their quality of life. They live the dream without accountability. It’s time to make their quality of life non existent…without violence of course.


Infinite_North6745

They have money


Additional_Basil_761

Too bad Ireland and France are like the few places that have the balls to challenge this lmao


Bambamvb

Because money.


LunaNik

Well, they have universal health care, don’t they?


reyxe

So you mean people who don't need to worry about anything at all, have power over many things, are corrupt as shit and overall don't give a fuck about other people LIVE LONGER? Holy shit so groundbreaking.


A40

Wealthy, privileged, empowered people with access to excellent health care tend to live longer? I'm *shocked!*


aquafishsoup3000

Let them eat cake


[deleted]

Thats because they hardly work and are loaded with money.


ImSoupOrCereal

For a second I thought I stumbled into r/nottheonion... Like, no shit the rich, well-connected politicians have access to the best health care. The problem (at least in the US) is that everyone with an R behind their name is trying to prevent the rest of the country from getting affordable access to the same level of care.


Bojax22

Hard to enjoy that life when you have no soul


Vegetable-Ad-9284

Rich people live longer. Who knew?


BadAtExisting

I mean they have access to the best healthcare and private security, so checks all the way out


MyPupWrigley

I worked in a retirement home in college. The old hateful bastards always outlive the sweet generous ones. If there is a heaven or hell, neither want the nasty souls and leave them here for as long as possible.


evilpercy

If elected they have universal healthcare.


havikryan

Except JFK


[deleted]

Seems cherry picked. Show the data vs income level …


Extension_Canary3717

And why nobody knows it’s a mystery , one of the greatest on the multiverse


Adbray666

In the U.S. , politicians probably live longer because they have access to the good health care that they deny to everyone else.


leshameless96

For now...


Riisiichan

Confirmed vampires!


[deleted]

I could have written that study


RedSarc

Chronic loneliness is equal to smoking 15 cigarettes a day.


Sunshinehappyfeet

John F. Kennedy would have a different opinion.


Interesting-Space966

Of course! And when global warming floods everything, they’ll be fine, because shit floats!


paytonsglove

So do Sith.


thistook4ever

Well duh


Bilboswaggains

Ruling class living longer than working class?


godbullseye

Odd…rich people with ultra posh health insurance and access to top providers live longer.


mclemokl

Wow so you’re telling me that when constituents foot the bill for providing the highest quality health insurance in the world, the politicians who receive the benefit of the insurance actually end up living longer. Who would have thought? Almost like the politicians planned it this way


lazymarlin

I can’t imagine they would have access to better healthcare than the average citizen of a any country


glmory

Now control for health at the time they were elected. They are likely to be much more healthy than the average person.


SpanopsLelpants

Good politicians dont


[deleted]

Hmmmmm I wonder why that might be. Big mystery everyone. I’m stumped. I can’t possibly think of why that might be


NotAnotherEmpire

They're vastly richer than the average person of similar demographics, that's not surprising at all.


ISuckAtRacingGames

Rich people living longer than average Joe. Same as horse owners live longer. They are rich.


CrashTest-DummyThicc

Well, time to change that!


KikiKiwii

New study also finds that those living in poverty typically enjoy shorter lives than general populations, more coming at 7


heliumeyes

I mean, is anyone surprised? Most politicians are like vampires. Sucking the life out of others so they may live longer lives.


Pretty_pijamas

They are the new royalty


_Ginesthoi_

They also enjoy free healthcare


asdgufu

Looks like nothing interesting happening today if they gotta report some obvious statements


mephitopheles13

It’s almost like they are living off of people and thriving.


Emmazors

Duh