Death is Cheap

  • by: |
  • 11/21/2005

Dead people are very cost efficient. They have no need for costly hospital procedures, pharmaceuticals, or home care. On the other side of the pharmacoeconomic spectrum are people who suffer non-fatal medical events like a heart attack or stroke — and survive due to every kind of help our health care system can provide. Such interventions are often both extensive and extended. But we are compassionate and civilized and value life. Individually and collectively we choose and support expensive care over expedient demise. That’s why it’s so urgent that we recognize the exigent issues surrounding our nation’s ill-placed focus on acute care while chronic care issues remain precariously in the background — in terms of both policy and press coverage.

The recent IDEAL study is only the most recent case-in-point. After a slamma JAMA editorial extolling the findings that Lipitor (80mg) provides incremental reductions in multiple endpoints including non-fatal heart attacks (a whopping 17% decrease in fatalities) and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients compared to simvastatin (20/40 mg) — the mainstream press played down the whole study as only marginally significant. Well, life is lived between such margins — and when it comes to CVD, those margins are pretty wide. In 2005, $393.5 billion was spent on CVD — nearly twice the amount spent on cancer care. Between 1970 and 1990 life expectancy in the US rose an astounding 6.2 years — due largely to new therapies for dealing with CVD.

Today we have the opportunity to further extend our ability not only to live but also to thrive at a high level of performance. And the impact on our health care system — not to mention our society will change the world … but only if we pay attention.

CMPI

Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.

Blog Roll

Alliance for Patient Access Alternative Health Practice
AHRP
Better Health
BigGovHealth
Biotech Blog
BrandweekNRX
CA Medicine man
Cafe Pharma
Campaign for Modern Medicines
Carlat Psychiatry Blog
Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look
Conservative's Forum
Club For Growth
CNEhealth.org
Diabetes Mine
Disruptive Women
Doctors For Patient Care
Dr. Gov
Drug Channels
DTC Perspectives
eDrugSearch
Envisioning 2.0
EyeOnFDA
FDA Law Blog
Fierce Pharma
fightingdiseases.org
Fresh Air Fund
Furious Seasons
Gooznews
Gel Health News
Hands Off My Health
Health Business Blog
Health Care BS
Health Care for All
Healthy Skepticism
Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma
Hugh Hewitt
IgniteBlog
In the Pipeline
In Vivo
Instapundit
Internet Drug News
Jaz'd Healthcare
Jaz'd Pharmaceutical Industry
Jim Edwards' NRx
Kaus Files
KevinMD
Laffer Health Care Report
Little Green Footballs
Med Buzz
Media Research Center
Medrants
More than Medicine
National Review
Neuroethics & Law
Newsbusters
Nurses For Reform
Nurses For Reform Blog
Opinion Journal
Orange Book
PAL
Peter Rost
Pharm Aid
Pharma Blog Review
Pharma Blogsphere
Pharma Marketing Blog
Pharmablogger
Pharmacology Corner
Pharmagossip
Pharmamotion
Pharmalot
Pharmaceutical Business Review
Piper Report
Polipundit
Powerline
Prescription for a Cure
Public Plan Facts
Quackwatch
Real Clear Politics
Remedyhealthcare
Shark Report
Shearlings Got Plowed
StateHouseCall.org
Taking Back America
Terra Sigillata
The Cycle
The Catalyst
The Lonely Conservative
TortsProf
Town Hall
Washington Monthly
World of DTC Marketing
WSJ Health Blog