Can you elaborate more? A (cursory) google search didn't really come up with anything about US wage freezes. there was a bit about price controls for 90 days when we came off the gold standard... that doesn't seem like the kind of problem you're describing.
fwiw, it looks like white male lifespan went up a ton in the first half of 20th century, 48 to 66, 37%! vs 66 to 74, just 12%. I'm pretty sure each 1 percent is exponentially harder than the last though.
The change came from wage controls during the Second World War. Ever since, employer-provided care is paid with pre-tax dollars while most private insurance outside of the workplace is paid with after-tax dollars. That's a huge penalty.
fwiw, it looks like white male lifespan went up a ton in the first half of 20th century, 48 to 66, 37%! vs 66 to 74, just 12%. I'm pretty sure each 1 percent is exponentially harder than the last though.