Americans: Don't Weigh Costs of New Treatments

Most Americans don't want the government to decide if medical treatments are economical before letting patients use them, a new survey suggests.

In some places, such as the UK and Germany, governments do have that power. Before patients can use a new drug, for instance, the government studies how well it works. It also sees what the drug costs compared to other drugs before deciding to make it available.

"The idea is to say, if we add this new technology, are we getting enough value for it given the increase in what we have to pay?" said Michael Botta. Botta led the study while in Harvard University's Program in Health Policy in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Source: Reuters