Episode 98: Opportunity Costs of Healthcare in the US
On an episode originally aired on Riverwest Radio, hosts Ashlie Benson and Kacee Ochalek talk to Dr. Vanness and Dr. Lomas about their new paper, “A Health Opportunity Cost Threshold for Cost-Effectiveness Analysis in the United States.” They discuss how pharmaceutical products whose prices do not represent good value for money come at a cost: less affordable healthcare, employers pay more to cover employees, employees effectively get paid less, higher taxes and poorly designed incentives for R&D.
Action Steps:
Engage with this issue. People recognize that there is a problem with the affordability of their healthcare and the regulation of drug prices might be one potential solution. Write to your political representatives and let them know how you feel about it.
Question everything. Be skeptical on all sides of the issue and learn for yourself what pharmaceutical drugs really cost and what do they give you in terms of health benefits.
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