Officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention aren't talking about it, but the total number of Americans dying is still much higher than it was before the COVID-19 pandemic showed up, in early 2020.
The CDC is reporting a total of 713,212 U.S. deaths from all causes in the early data for the third quarter of the year, or the 13-week period ending Sept. 28.
That's 10.9% higher than the total the CDC was reporting at the same point in the year for the comparable period in 2019.
The possibility that the pandemic may have permanently increased the U.S. death rate could affect any financial professionals involved with life insurance, estate or retirement planning.
Clients may need more life insurance, to protect against the risk of premature death, and more careful retirement planning, to prepare for the possibility that the life expectancy of affluent people is continuing to increase.
Life insurers appear to have adapted to the shift by quietly building factors related to the increased death rate into their prices and forecasting programs.
The CDC has stopped posting the state death counts reported as of a given week. It is posting a file of death count figures that is updated every week.
A comparison of the new, incomplete state death count data for the latest quarter with complete data for the third quarter of 2019 shows that total death counts from all causes were up at least 6.8% in the typical state and up more than 10% in 18 states.
For a look at the 12 states with the increases in the total death counts, based on comparisons of early, incomplete 2024 numbers and complete 2019 numbers, see the gallery above.
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