Comment

Barack Obama says preventive care 'saves money'-No It Does Not

28
blueraven2/14/2012 2:50:35 pm PST

re: #24 Daniel Ballard

One more from the PDF

Providing a specific example of the benefits and costs of preventive care, another recent study conducted by researchers from the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society estimated the effects of achieving widespread use of several highly recommended preventive measures aimed at cardiovascular disease—such as monitoring blood pressure levels for diabetics and cholesterol levels for individuals at high risk of heart disease and using medications to reduce those levels.4 The researchers found that those steps would substantially reduce the projected number of heart attacks and strokes that occurred but would also increase total spending on medical care because the ultimate savings would offset only about 10 percent of the costs of the preventive services, on average. Of particular note, that study sought to capture both the costs and benefits of providing preventive care over a 30-year period.

And this

In sum, expanded governmental support for preventive medical care would
probably improve people’s health but would not generally reduce total spending
on health care. However, government funding for some specific types of
preventive care might lower total spending. In its estimates, CBO seeks to capture
the likely future effects on the budget on a case-by-case basis
.