Preventing Health Problems is Great but Costly in Dollars

In an Aug. 7th letter to Rep. Nathan Deal, Congressional Budget Office Director Doug Elmendorf’s aide, said: "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."

"It is usually necessary to provide preventive care to many patients, most of whom would not have suffered that illness anyway." This costs money that would not have been spent.

We should always attempt to prevent illness. But prevention increases costs not reduces them.

Remember: The study comes directly from the respected CBO. And flies in the face of the Obama Administration’s claim for savings that will flow from its vaunted health care plans.