Preview

What Would Be the Cost Benefit to Society for the Early Detection and Treatment of Diseases?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
657 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
What Would Be the Cost Benefit to Society for the Early Detection and Treatment of Diseases?
What would be the cost benefit to society for the early detection and treatment of diseases?
Benjamin Franklin once said, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”. In today’s society, that statement is very true. Millions of dollars are spent in the treatment of diseases. It is definitely more cost effective to do annual screenings and testing than it is to treat a disease that has already manifested.
Once a person has the disease, it becomes very costly. The patient has to go through testing in order to control the disease. They may have to take medication as well. X-rays, lab tests, MRIs, medication and multiple doctor visits all add up and can be costly for the patient as well as for the insurance company. That is why insurance premiums are so high. The insurance companies have to pay out millions of dollars each year for the treatment of diseases. That’s why they are advocates about early detection and prevention.
Insurance companies tend to pay for all wellness visits and any visits they deem as preventative. They pay for annual pap smears, mammograms, bone density scans, flu and pneumonia shots and the like. It is because it is cheaper for them to try and prevent a disease by encouraging their subscribers to take an active role in their health and seek preventative care than to pay the expenses for the treatment of a disease. It is usually when a patient is seeking treatment for an illness that the insurance requires them to pat against their deductible.
Many communities offer free flu shots around the beginning of the flu season. The reasoning is that by getting the shot, people will be able to lessen or prevent the likelihood of them getting sick. People are able to go to their local drugstore or clinic to get their shot for the season. Many people see the doctor because they did not get their shot and are feeling miserable.
An article in the New York Times stated that, “Better preventive medicine and emergency care have already caused a 25

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    It seems that many medical problems do have a relatively easy fix once someone takes the time to do the research and come up with a solution. Vaccines and other preventative medicines may initially cost a substantial amount in research costs, but the amount of money that is saved, not to mention lives that are spared, makes the cost seem minor in comparison. I think that seems to be one of the points of the chapter; cost is completely relative, yes it may cost a lot initially to create a new vaccine but that is nothing in comparison to the $30 billion in medical expenses that we would be facing if the polio vaccine were not…

    • 1515 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Not only is it expensive, but having to give money to people do not want to be treated anymore and want to end their misery. “Consider the huge cost of keeping a dying patient alive for several months.” (ph. 4) On the contrary, their are ill people out there who can not afford to have heathcare who want the help is not getting it. “We have to ask ourselves, is this the best way to spend money when the patient himself would like to die?” (ph. 4) Being in pain and in debt are not the ways to live. There is only so much you can do for someone who does not want to be helped.…

    • 620 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    public to decrease the number of people living with this disease while still maintaining its…

    • 557 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    1. A flu shot will help you fight off the influenza each year and even save your from going to the hospital and possibly even dying.…

    • 1338 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Regulatory Paper

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages

    to pay for treatment. As we know today that the burden of uncompensated care is…

    • 360 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the CDC (center of disease control) only 46% of individuals in the United States were vaccinated against the flu in the 2012-2013. It was shown that the flu shot was 67% effective at preventing the flu. It is estimated that every year anywhere from 5,000 to 20,000 people die from flu-associated illnesses (like pneumonia secondary to getting the flu). During the 2012-2013 flu season 171 children died due to the flu. Many individuals in our country are not able to be vaccinated due to autoimmune disease, being an infant under the age of 6 months, possibly having allergies to the flu vaccine, etc. The people that cannot be vaccinated depend on others to get vaccinated so they won't be exposed to the Influenza Virus. On that side of the coin it shows the importance to be vaccinated and that it can greatly affect individuals in the United states. Dr. Frank Esper, a viral respirator disease expert is quoted “Every time you vaccinate yourself, you're not just protecting yourself, but you're protecting everyone you know – including individuals who are too young, have asthma, are pregnant, etc. You get vaccinated, and you…

    • 771 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Secondly, it would appear that there is a general lack of knowledge regarding the vaccine. The survey revealed that 38% of participants in their study claimed “Doctor hasn’t to me I need it”. Additionally, those who were aware of the vaccine but didn’t not receive it because of fear of getting the disease was 26%. (Johnson, 2008) In the physicians that were surveyed, many felt that patients didn’t come in enough for their well care checkups. Only 20% of the patients reported they had not seen providers for well-care visits and 29% had had a routine care visit. (Johnson, 2008) The providers almost all felt that their adult patients should be immunized, but feel that because of gaps in care, they were being missed.…

    • 2581 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Better Essays

    No one desires going to the doctor to be pricked with a sharp painful needle. Sometimes it can be just as difficult to convince adults to receive vaccinations as it can be convincing children. Recently the refusal of receiving vaccinations has shifted from the initial pain of receiving a shot to the vaccinations in general. People have become skeptical of the effects and potential dangers that come along with receiving a vaccination. Vaccinations make it possible for people to build immunity before they are exposed to a virus.…

    • 1567 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    In 2010, President Obama enacted the Affordable Care Act. It place health insurance reforms which makes health care more affordable. It allows people to be in charge of their healthcare. This act has benefits for women, young adults, seniors, businesses, and pretty much everyone. It has many benefits such as providing protection against Health Care fraud, holding insurance companies accountable, consumer protections, improving and lowering healthcare costs, and allowing easier access to health care. It provides many benefits and people are more likely to go to the doctor when they really need to. As we all know, it can be costly to go to the doctor. For that reason, people usually put it off as long as possible, which may only worsen their…

    • 453 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    are diagnosed with a sickness that inevitably will kill them with in coming months. The negative…

    • 1913 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disease pandemics can be catastrophic. The medical industry provides the most quality treatment for these diseases. First, declining…

    • 555 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    3. Nader, Ralph. "21 Ways the Canadian Health Care System Is Better than Obamacare." »…

    • 1216 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Better Essays

    There is a trend, however, in our society to focus on treating illness and disease rather them preventing them in the first place. Programs such as Jump rope for the heart encourage exercise in those who participate, usually school children, to strengthen their heart; while the majority of the proceeds from such programs go to treatment of heart disease, rather than prevention. If programs such as this coupled with public health to prevent such disease there would be less incidence and therefore more of that funding could be spent on prevention.…

    • 1222 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Physicians point out that there is more screening, meaning that disease is getting reported more.…

    • 298 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Dr. Frieden, Director of the Center for Disease Control and vaccination supporter, stated that “Stopping outbreaks where they start is the most effective and least costly way to prevent disease and save lives at home and abroad – and it's the right thing to do." (Report) And he is correct, “According to analysis by the CDC, hospitalizations avoided and lives saved through vaccination will save nearly $295 billion in direct costs and $1.38 trillion in total societal costs.” (Report) Some of the more expensive vaccinations run around $100-$150 which could seem expensive and not worth it at face value, but it is far less costly to immunize when one is looking at a long hospital stay or even death of a loved one.…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays