Launching tomorrow: 66.1 Saturdays

Healthcare in America is broken.

The average American spends $14,570 on healthcare every year. (​1​) That, to our team here at 66.1, sounds like too much, especially given the results the healthcare system is delivering:

-60% of Americans have at least one chronic disease (​2​)

-74% of American adults are obese/overweight (​3​)

-At the inception of this newsletter, the average healthspan (years lived without a chronic disease) in the US was just 66.1 years (​4​)

Let’s say you’re 50. If you’re healthy today, there’s a decent chance you’ll make it to 80 years old. 30 more years. You daydream of taking a retirement trip to Italy with your family, throwing the football with your grandson, and dancing at your granddaughter’s wedding.

Or maybe you’re 30. You’ve lost a step (or two) since your last amateur game 10-12 years ago, but it’s likely you’ll be around for another 30 years. Your focus has shifted from winning the next game to maintaining your health so you can get down on the floor and play with your kids, coach their sports teams, and enjoy family road trips.

While these events are unfolding, though, something else is happening.Over the next 30 years, $14,570 per year adds up to $406,944 spent on your healthcare.

And, according to the stats above, odds are you’ll still end up overweight and with a chronic disease, despite spending nearly a half million dollars trying to stay healthy.

One of the bigger scams a person could imagine. 

Education, not prescriptions

Here at 66.1, we believe that, rather than another prescription, procedure, or appointment, what you need is education. Our mission is to provide you with actionable, science-backed information so you can live healthier, for longer.

Accomplishing that mission comes down to 3 things:

1. We start with the science This isn’t the place for opinions. You need to know what actually works. We’ll start every issue by grounding ourselves in an understanding of the science around the week’s topic.

2. Then we pare it down to the simplest, most actionable information Words like “autophagy”, “intermittent fasting”, and “atherosclerosis” make scientists and doctors sound smart, but “programmed cell death”, “not eating for a while”, and “clogged arteries” would have sufficed. We promise to keep it simple. And if we must use SAT words, we’ll be sure to define them.

3. Finally, we ground it all in common sense Yes, science will be the bedrock of our work. But we'll also read between the lines for you. For example: there's a widely-circulated clinical trial that implies lifelong Ozempic use is the only way to maintain weight loss. But the lead investigator has significant financial ties to Novo Nordisk, Ozempic’s manufacturer. We’ll catch low-integrity moves like these so you can rest assured that you’re getting independent information to help you live better, for longer.

Our goal is that, by executing on these 3 steps every Saturday, we'll equip you with the knowledge to maintain a youthful (if not young) body for decades to come. So you're able to dance at your granddaughter’s wedding, to kick your son’s butt in a backcountry hunt, and to take that bucket list trip with your spouse.

We’re here to be your copilot on your longevity journey.

Change on the horizon

Late in 2024, we started sending 66.1 twice per week. The rationale behind this decision was twofold:

1. Once a week isn’t frequent enough to keep your health at the front of your mind.

2. There’s so much information that twice per week feels like the bare minimum to keep you in the know.

Since pivoting to twice-weekly publications late in 2024, we’ve 5x’d the time we spend writing 66.1. Not a complaint–we’re happy to do it.

But 66.1 isn’t a hobby. It’s a mission. And missions tend to help more people when they have the tool of money on their side.

So, yes, 66.1 Saturdays are going paid. It’s what needs to happen to help more people live healthier, for longer. Pimping out your eyeballs to the highest-paying sponsor isn’t going to build your health. And you don’t want us ending every email with a copy-and-pasted “click here for a free introductory health coaching call”.

A paid subscription, while annoying for you today, is the best way to stay true to our mission and establish the foundation on which we’ll continue to build 66.1.

$6.61 per month or $66.10 per year. We think it’s fair. Actually, we think it’s one of the best investments you could make. Remember those numbers on healthcare costs? $406,944 is too high. $66.10 for 30 years, however, is just $1,983.

Even if we help cut your healthcare costs by just 1% over the next 30 years, you’re coming out more than $2,000 ahead. If we can bump that number to 10% (we think we can), we're at a savings of $38,711. If you're the investing type, that's a 20x ROI.

If a paid subscription doesn’t work for your financial situation, please send us an email. We’re not doing this to exclude you.

Some of you have shared that you’d like to see what Saturday issues will look like before you subscribe. Here are a few reader favorites:

1. ​Ozempic​

2. ​Alcohol​

3. ​Back painSubscribe now

What people are saying about 66.1

"Simply world class."

-Jason

"I've subscribed to dozens of email newsletters in the past year. 66.1 is the only one I haven't unsubscribed from, because it's candid, informative, and useful."

-Sean

"I sit and wait for it to arrive in my inbox every Saturday so I can read it while I drink my coffee."

-Sarah

"I appreciate the nuance with which you discuss the topic of alcohol. It's made out to be the devil, but the social benefits are very real. Thanks for unpacking this important topic."

-David

"I'd always wondered if Ozempic was really as good as it sounds. Thanks for diving deep and making sense of this for us."

-Penny

"Better than the leading longevity newsletters because you think more deeply and explain things in simple terms."

-John

"I've dealt with back pain for many years. Your simple, actionable advice has helped me get out of pain and more active. Thank you!"

-Jessica

How it works

1. You decide you want to get the best 66.1 content every Saturday If this isn’t you, no sweat. You'll still get the Wednesday issues of 66.1, free of charge.

2. You choose your plan Monthly: $6.61/month Annual: $66.10/year $49/year (limited launch pricing) Executive: $661/year

3. You get the following: - Access to every 66.1 post (two posts each week)- Podcasts of every 66.1 Saturday post so you can listen on your drive to work, at the gym, or while cooking dinner - Membership in the 66.1 community so you can connect with other members via comments and chat features (this is why our website is now hosted on Substack)- Answers to your personal questions in chats and posts so you can advance your own longevity journey between our twice-weekly posts-Quarterly “recap” posts and podcasts so you have all the best, most actionable information from the past quarter of 66.1, all in one place- Executive members will also get 1:1 access to me for a series of health coaching Zoom calls this year. Or we can have a coffee and chat about hunting, skiing, travel, and why barefoot shoes are the best. Your call. If you have the means, you would change the trajectory of 66.1 by enrolling in an Executive plan. Such contributions will allow us to sponsor subscriptions, reach new members, and add top talent to our team so we can keep after our mission to make 66.1 the best longevity newsletter out there.Subscribe now

See you all tomorrow with our first paid Saturday edition of 66.1. Thanks for your support. Have fun out there.

Marcus

Why 66.1? 66.1 is the average health span (years lived without a serious disease) in the US, as of the start of this newsletter publication. We're here to extend that.