[prion]

Another theory: the study is bogus. I have some experience of the NHS. I'm betting there are more sick Americans because Americans survive getting sick, sometimes for years and years.

Think of it. If we bopped people on the head the moment they showed symptoms of something, we'd have a 100% healthy population, wouldn't we?

[jiggyboy]

I have some experience of the NHS. I'm betting there are more sick Americans because Americans survive getting sick, sometimes for years and years.

I like it. There was similar hooting here last week when the U.S. made a supposedly poor showing in an infant mortality survey. Somebody posted that in many European countries "stillborn" in fact includes babies that die up to some number of hours after birth. Etc.

Then there's the famous story (but it might just be a brain teaser) about a country that improved the design of their helmets during WWI. All of a sudden the number of head injuries doubled or tripled. WTF lousy design was that!? Oops, deaths due to head injuries were down by about the same amount.

[Vectorian]

'Another theory: the study is bogus. I have some experience of the NHS. I'm betting there are more sick Americans because Americans survive getting sick, sometimes for years and years.'

The report clearly states that it includes comparisons between rich americans and rich Brits, both of whom have private health cover and the health gap is still just as big, proving it has nothing to do with the NHS.

Personally, I think it comes down to two things - Brits walk far more and eat far less fast food than Americans. It's not rocket science.

[FostersExport]

"Another theory: the study is bogus. I have some experience of the NHS. I'm betting there are more sick Americans because Americans survive getting sick, sometimes for years and years."

If that was the case US life expectancy would be higher than the UK’s. It isn’t.

There a lot of burying heads in sand going on in this thread. Hey, I’m no paragon of the healthy lifestyle but at least I admit it.

[Labyrinthos]

Another theory: the study is bogus. I have some experience of the NHS. I'm betting there are more sick Americans because Americans survive getting sick, sometimes for years and years.

There is another theory that MADD and the other guardians of the nanny state don't want you to know -- alcohol consumption. The Brits as a whole drink more, and alcohol in moderate amounts is good for the heart and probably helps to reduce stress.

Also, while I would like to know the "biological data" that the researchers examined, in my observations, American Bluebloods of British stock seem to live a lot longer than Americans of other ethnicities.