Cutler D M, McClellan M
Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Health Aff (Millwood). 2001 Sep-Oct;20(5):11-29. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.20.5.11.
Medical technology is valuable if the benefits of medical advances exceed the costs. We analyze technological change in five conditions to determine if this is so. In four of the conditions--heart attacks, low-birthweight infants, depression, and cataracts--the estimated benefit of technological change is much greater than the cost. In the fifth condition, breast cancer, costs and benefits are about of equal magnitude. We conclude that medical spending as a whole is worth the increased cost of care. This has many implications for public policy.
如果医学进步带来的益处超过成本，那么医疗技术就是有价值的。我们分析了五种情况下的技术变革，以确定是否如此。在其中四种情况——心脏病发作、低体重婴儿、抑郁症和白内障——技术变革的估计益处远大于成本。在第五种情况乳腺癌中，成本和益处大致相当。我们得出结论，总体而言医疗支出值得增加护理成本。这对公共政策有诸多影响。
