THE ECONOMIC RAMIFICATIONS OF CURES
by medical spending , policymakers who ask whether prevention can save money or reduce spending must pose the same questions for disease treatments . For all forms of health spending , they should ask the following questions :
• Is the intervention effective in improving health outcomes , and is it based on sound evidence ?
• If it is effective , does it offer good value per dollar spent ?
• Can other options achieve better results , the same results at lower cost , or possibly yield net savings ?
Across the board , the economic crisis requires a comprehensive examination of how to shift spending from services of dubious economic value to those with high CE or net savings . Whether those services are preventive or otherwise is less the point than the value they provide for the dollars spent .
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