No magic way to curb rising healthcare costs

There are no systems in which healthcare has been made “magically cheaper,” as Salisbury rightly states.1 Demand for healthcare is increasing and costs are rising. This is an effect of ageing populations and of the apparently endless growth of preventive, diagnostic, and treatment possibilities. Further, in many high income countries including the UK the gain in healthy and disability free life expectancy has not matched growth in total life expectancy.2 There is obviously a cost to the health system.One misconception is the assumption that improvement in the health of the population will stop the increase in healthcare costs. Although preventing disease will in some cases save money, in other cases it will add to healthcare costs.34We should remember two things. Firstly, preventative interventions aim to stop or at least postpone disease, increase life expectancy, and improve quality of life, but do not aim to save money. Secondly, treatment for some…
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