Institute Finds Big Variations In Life Expectancy.

African-Americans in the lowest 20% socioeconomic bracket, for example, had life expectancies of 65.3 for men and 72.8 for women. Life expectancies rose to 75.2 for men and 78.7 for women in the top 20% bracket.

Likewise, white men and women in the lowest 20% socioeconomic bracket had life expectancies of 68.9 and 75.2, respectively. Life expectancies rose to 79.4 and 82.7 in the top 20%.

Socioeconomic brackets had little to no measurable effect on life expectancies of Hispanics and individuals in the Asian/Pacific Islander group.

"We uncovered these differences while studying cancer survival rates among these groups," says Christina Clarke, a CPIC research scientist. "The findings were disturbing enough that we pressed to publish them, even though they were outside our immediate focus."

The researchers found that, while there were substantial age-specific gaps in mortality, especially among poor African-American men, the biggest differences showed up in individuals 45 years of age and older. That points to the crucial role chronic illnesses among older people, such as diabetes and heart disease, and access to health care play in affecting life expectancies.

The CPIC has raised potentially troubling questions for life and health insurers, for whom the life expectancy variation figures have clear underwriting applicability, despite the fact that using the data could lead to accusations of redlining.

"Life expectancy is among the most basic indicators of a population's well being," Clarke says. "We found that poverty or affluence alone didn't explain the wide differences seen by race in today's California. Our findings show clearly that race matters beyond its association with poverty, which raises even more questions as to why."