A friend of mine asked me to comment on this question. It's a tricky one.
NEJM -- Does Preventive Care Save Money?
The interesting thing here is that "although high-technology treatments for existing conditions can be expensive, such measures may, in certain circumstances, also represent an efficient use of resources." That's not to say we shouldn't make all our decisions based on economic reasoning devoid of value judgments (and I mean not "economic value" but "emotional value")... But if you were to look at this question purely from an economic value perspective, then this paper fairly definitively argues that opportunities for efficient investment in health care programs are roughly equal for prevention and treatment. This chart pretty much says it all to me.
Regardless, health care costs in America are too high for a sustainable economic future. There is *plenty* of room to more effectively use the right treatment and prevention to make America a healthier place, while getting more (economic) value for our health care dollar.
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My question, though, is where is this money going to come from? The federal government is trying to take over health care, which I think is a joke. While I am all for preventative care, I don't want to foot the bill for the lazy people that are on Medicaid. I almost feel like we need to employ medical practice management consultants for the federal government in this regard.
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