The article suggested that the most likely reason for increased mortality among old people in England and Wales in 2015 was the application of austerity policies, saying that “the evidence points to a major failure of the health system, possibly exacerbated by failings in social care”. He has been a critic of the NHS reforms introduced by the UK's coalition government in 2012, arguing that they were unworkable and would lead to fragmentation and confusion. In January 2014 he said that continuing health inequalities among London boroughs was a scandal and that coalition reforms had left it unclear who was supposed to analyse health data and tackle the problems highlighted. McKee has received honorary doctorates from the universities of Debrecen (Hungary), Maastricht (The Netherlands), Karlstad (Sweden), Queen's (Belfast), and the Nordic School of Public Health. He has been elected to the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and the US National Academy of Medicine. He was made a "Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire" (CBE) by HM Queen Elizabeth II for services to health in the 2005 Birthday Honours.