Deaths from chronic diseases during the ages of 55 to 64 were similar for the English and Americans but not when the Americans were in their 70 ™s. At the higher age even ill Americans lived longer. The authors write that this may be due to the fact that these same illnesses are more likely to be fatal in England than in America, or that English people may be diagnosed at later stages in their disease, which would result in a higher mortality rate. Smith said, Both of these explanations imply that there is higher-quality medical care in the United States than in England, at least in the sense that these chronic illnesses are less likely to cause death among people living in the United States.

Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) data show the United States spends more on healthcare than any other nation, and Banks said spending on healthcare for the elderly in the U.S. is almost double that in England. The United States spent 16 percent of its national output or $7,538 per person on health, a figure well over double the $3,000 per person average of all OECD countries.

Epidemiologist David Rehkopf, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco added, The better care that Americans get from their health-care system occurs very late in the disease process This does have an important benefit for reducing mortality However, because less focus is put on prevention, we have to live and manage chronic disease and illness for long periods of time. The findings suggest that the main deficiencies in the U.S. health system may be in preventing disease from occurring. This is important to begin to address if people want to also live disease-free, rather than just longer.