Americans' life expectancy was 78.1 years in 2006, a record level, according to new data released by the National Center for Health Statistics. Death rates from heart disease, cancer, diabetes, influenza and pneumonia were all down from the previous year.

Polls show Americans don't quite connect the nation's aging population to the problem of swelling health care costs -- one of the most urgent issues in the eyes of the public. When asked to name the biggest reasons for escalating costs, most pointed to profits by insurance companies and malpractice lawsuits.