CBO: preventive care costs exceed the savings from averted illness

[mawilson 2,133]

Something I've been saying all along - now confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office.

"Researchers who have examined the effects of preventive care generally find that

the added costs of widespread use of preventive services tend to exceed the savings

from averted illness."

CBO link - pdf

[Otto 83]

Worth every penny too... (can think of many worse things to spend money on)...

[mawilson 2,133]

Worth every penny too... (can think of many worse things to spend money on)...

You misread the title - the CBO says it's NOT worth every penny.

[Otto 83]

Worth every penny too... (can think of many worse things to spend money on)...

You misread the title - the CBO says it's NOT worth every penny.

I didn't misread it - I read the memo (to clarify, they did admit that it is - or could be - 'worth it' for an individual, but on whole they say it would cost more).

I just disagree..

A similar argument could be made toward education - am sure there is a certain percentage of students who end up not making anything of themselves (for lack of a better way to put it) - should certain students not get books? (Wouldn't it be more cost effective to only educate the students who will actually make something out of themselves?)

[Otto 83]

ETA:

I realize the point is to show that a preventative health care won't reduce the overall costs - I'm not certain that isn't at least partially true.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

What the CBO can not estimate is the economic benefit of having healthier workers and fewer preventable deaths. They can only calculate the cost of care itself.

[mawilson 2,133]

What the CBO can not estimate is the economic benefit of having healthier workers and fewer preventable deaths. They can only calculate the cost of care itself.

I would say it's negligible. An unhealthy or dead worker can be replaced with a healthy or younger one.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

What the CBO can not estimate is the economic benefit of having healthier workers and fewer preventable deaths. They can only calculate the cost of care itself.

I would say it's negligible. An unhealthy or dead worker can be replaced with a healthy or younger one.

Knowledge takes time to replace. When we lose middle-aged workers with short notice, the pain lasts a while.

[mawilson 2,133]

What the CBO can not estimate is the economic benefit of having healthier workers and fewer preventable deaths. They can only calculate the cost of care itself.

I would say it's negligible. An unhealthy or dead worker can be replaced with a healthy or younger one.

Knowledge takes time to replace. When we lose middle-aged workers with short notice, the pain lasts a while.

I still think it's negligible. The fact that the costs outweigh the benefits suggests that the number of

preventable deaths or illnesses is relatively small and therefore unlikely to make much of an impact

on the labor market.

[NickD 202]

Thought preventative health care is up to the user, don't drink, smoke, or chase wild women, eat healthy food, stay slim, and get plenty of exercise kind of thing. A doctor can only tell you to do that stuff, can't force you, why is that so expensive? Regarding those terrible diseases, if they are in your genes, you are screwed and were born that way, so they talk about risk factors that may or may not prevent you from getting that disease, but again, it's all talk. Typically what they do is to hand you a pamphlet. I got one on how not to chase wild women, just said to tie your shoe strings from both shoes together.

[mawilson 2,133]

Thought preventative health care is up to the user, don't drink, smoke, or chase wild women, eat healthy food, stay slim, and get plenty of exercise kind of thing.

You can eat healthy, stay slim, get plenty of exercise and still chase wild women. What's wrong with chasing wild women?

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Wild women = viruses

[mawilson 2,133]

Wild women = viruses

Double-bag it and you're good

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I wonder if gangstas will do more drive bys knowing they wont have to pay.

[Danno 1,228]

Something I've been saying all along - now confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office.

"Researchers who have examined the effects of preventive care generally find that

the added costs of widespread use of preventive services tend to exceed the savings

from averted illness."

CBO link - pdf

I had a serious hunch this was the case.

I know more than a couple people who run to the doctor for every pimple, and when it comes to their kids it;s even worse.. this is really the downside of having insurance, it has instilled a "wasteful" trivial use of medical care.

But how could it not? Anytime you pay one price and can use all you want, this is the result, just look at the half full plates at the -All you can eat Buffet. People take way more than they will eat on each trip to refill their plate.

Politicians love to push this myth about "It's better to go often and catch it early".

This feeds right into this wasteful attitude so many have developed.