Overall U.S. health declines for fourth consecutive year

Each year since 1990, the nonprofit United Health Foundation, created by insurance giant UnitedHealth Group, has compared states on a variety of health measures to determine whether the nation's health is getting better or worse. This year, the report rated states on 23 measures, including immunization rates, obesity, premature death, and violent crime. For the fourth consecutive year, the health of the nation as a whole declined. The analysts attributed the decline to "rising obesity rates, more people without health insurance, and the persistence of unhealthy behavior such as tobacco use.”