Lifespan increased during communism, as it replaced a monarchy that basically did not give a shit about their people. You need to compare it to other countries in the same time:

White male in USA had life expectancy of 56 years if born in 1919 and 67 years if born in 1959. I'll make it easier for you to grasp:
Imperial Russia - 32 years
USA in 1920 - 56 years
Soviet Russia in 1956 - 68 years
USA in 1959 - 67 years

You see? Life expectancy increased thanks to replacing the previous system. Had it been communism or capitalism, probably both would have similar effects. Communism failed because it was not sustainable, there were no incentives, no motivation, no other way of ruling but by fear. Capitalism is a sick system, but communism has also its sickness. Anarchy could work? As far as I know has never been tried at large scale and the small scale experiences ended fast (most cases boycoted by external elements).

So far what seems to work better is a Capitalist system with strict limitations and focus on social development. It worked well in Nordic countries, and now it is being savaged by Neo-liberalism and soulless capitalism. The answer is more about going back to a vision of social development and public services with quality and excellence assurance, more than communism. But that of course is just my opinion.