How about this? A study by the Harvard School of Public Health  has determined that life expectancy is not about health care. It is about lifestyle, economics and class, though.

The article reports that variation in life expectancy depends on individual factors —diet, exercise and smoking—but not health care. According to Jonathan Skinner of Dartmouth, "we spend much of our attention and 16% of our national income on health care. There's no way that differences in the quality of health care can explain 20-year gaps in life expectancy."

The study  concludes that there are dramatic gaps between eight groups of Americans. The divisions are based primarily upon income (middle and low) and ethnicity (Asian, black and white). Age and gender follow from there. Injury and disease have the biggest impact on life expectancy and more accessible health care would narrow the gaps only a little. Health care, the study figures, won't fix bad habits.

"Where we fall down is delivering health care for young and middle-aged adults," co-author Christopher Murray says, nevertheless. And removing "financial and cultural barriers to lifestyle and medication" for controlling weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar "should help reduce the large inequities in chronic disease," authors of the study claim.

The research team concludes that because policies aimed at reducing socioeconomic inequalities are "practically absent," health disparities "will have to be at least partly addressed through public health strategies that reduce risk factors for chronic disease and injuries." (My emphasis.)

This is a little confusing: People live shorter lives because they tend to be less healthy, and extra medical attention won't matter as much as lifestyle changes. And the less healthy folks appear to have lower incomes. However, some of the lifestyle changes would include access to better medical care.

Let's just cut to the chase. If your access to good health care is determined by economics, that means we are all vulnerable—so we have to take matters in our own hands . Same thing if your health is compromised by "lifestyle choices"—smoking, overeating, not exercising and all that.

Having a good disaster preparedness supply protects you when the house is blown away, the hospital is compromised and there are no fire trucks around. It's more than good sense. It's life and death.

Same thing with a "Health Preparedness"  regimen. A strong body  is your preparedness kit for flu season, injuries and resistance to weather—for when your apartment building is evacuated, doctors are busy with trauma and there are no fire trucks around.

It's life and death. Meaning, a better life. And making death something you don't have to think about till after your 100th birthday party.