Health care czar Tom Daschle writes “we can lower costs by focusing more of our energies on prevention.” First, not the collectivist undertone of “we” and “our,” which implies a one-size fits all solution to how people pay for health care and what kind of health care people buy. That is, you’re not responsible for paying for your own medical care or insurance, but government makes you responsible to fund everyone else’s. If your own health is not your responsibility, and is the responsibility of the government, then politicians and government bureaucrats shall determine what you focus on.
In any case, can preventive care save? An article in the New England Journal of Medicine concludes:
Although some preventive measures do save money, the vast majority reviewed in the health economics literature do not. Careful analysis of the costs and benefits of specific interventions, rather than broad generalizations, is critical. Such analysis could identify not only cost-saving preventive measures but also preventive measures that deliver substantial health benefits relative to their net costs; this analysis could also identify treatments that are cost-saving or highly efficient (i.e., cost-effective).
Also, click here to see why John Goodman says “The idea that preventive medicine saves money is dead.”
Patients should make the choice to have a preventive screening. Some may want an insurance policy that covers them, some may not. In a tolerant society that respects your right to live as you sees fit, that choice should be yours, and a politician has no right to deny it.
