1. Yes, some of them. Spent a little time in New Mexico. I've travelled through the gulf states and Alabama. Particularly outside of Albequrque and Santa Fe, the general level of deprivation in NM was quite clear.

2. I'm glad that people in the UK have access to healthcare. I'd be very happy if that went to the US. That doesn't change the raw GDP figures though.

I agree it may change the experience they have of being poor if you aren't also deprived of medical care. But here's another thing - people in the UK are less satisfied than ever with the NHS as well - it appears to be floundering.

(In answer to the below "people have always been less satisfied with the NHS" - perhaps so, but this time it's serious, they haven't been this less satisfied before - https://www.theguardian.com/society/2025/apr/02/patient-sati... )

> That doesn't change the raw GDP figures though

That's assuming they're relevant, and spoiler, they aren't for the topic at hand.

How is any individual's life better because they work at a café selling $20 coffee vs £5 coffee? Because if you measure GDP, person one is drastically more productive, but in reality, it doesn't matter, really. If both are earning minimum wage, the person in the UK with the cheaper coffee has higher income (outside of a few US states). But what is their quality of life? That's highly dependent on where they live, what are their housing costs (which are quite high in the UK in most desirable locations), etc. In any case, GDP doesn't evaluate that, and it's probably the main thing people care about and what they mean by "poor".

UK citizens have ALWAYS been "less satisfied than ever with the NHS". It's a service - no one likes services. But it still goes on looking after us, pretty well.