In a shocking finding, a huge new study concludes that young Americans are less likely to live to age 50 than citizens of other developed countries. In addition, Americans of all ages are in poorer health than their counterparts elsewhere, regardless of their economic status. Poverty is not the driver behind the statistics.

A report for the National Research Council and the Institute of Medicine was released on Wednesday that compared the health of Americans to 16 other affluent countries. The low life expectancy in the U.S. was most affected by car accidents, gun violence, and drug overdoses. For example, firearm homicides here occur at a rate of 20 times that of other countries; firearm suicides occur 6 times more frequently. In 2007, sixty-nine percent of American homicide deaths were due to firearms, whereas the average rate of the other countries was 26 percent.