The United States spends considerably more on health care than the United Kingdom. Despite this, research by IFS and US colleagues at RAND found that those in the US in late middle age tend to be less healthy than those in England. The US has higher rates of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and cancer.

The research has important policy implications for health spending decisions. In addition to receiving a great deal of attention from the mainstream news media in the UK and the US, the research was discussed in scientific publications (Nature, New Scientist) as well as a number of specialist medical news outlets (Medwire, HealthScout, HealthSenital) . The results even featured in the 2007 film ‘Sicko’.