A LEAP IN LIFESPAN: “The annual report on mortality rates by the National Center for Health Statistics, released this week, tells a now-familiar story: In 2012, life expectancy for older Americans continued to climb. People who reached age 65 could look ahead to an average additional 19.3 years on the planet, an all-time high. Men could anticipate another 17.9 years, on average, and women another 20.5. The numbers inched up only slightly from 2011 — seniors gained an extra five weeks or so, on average. But the longer-term trend has been dramatic, said Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics.” So the gains have slowed in the last few years? What could account for that?