Poor Britons healthier than rich Americans

by Jerome a Paris
Thu May 4th, 2006 at 07:15:34 AM EDT

Some good news to contrast with Agnes a Paris's relative pessimism on the NHS:

Study Shows Americans Sicker Than English

White, middle-aged Americans — even those who are rich — are far less healthy than their peers in England, according to stunning new research that erases misconceptions and has experts scratching their heads.

Americans had higher rates of diabetes, heart disease, strokes, lung disease and cancer — findings that held true no matter what income or education level.

Those dismal results are despite the fact that U.S. health care spending is double what England spends on each of its citizens.

The upper crust in both countries was healthier than middle-class and low-income people in the same country. But richer Americans' health status resembled the health of the low-income English.