"When you encounter seemingly good advice that contradicts other seemingly good advice, ignore them both."
--Al Franken
This Valentine's Day NEJM article,
"Does Preventive Care Save Money? Health Economics and the Presidential Candidates", speaks for itself.
"Our findings suggest that the broad generalizations made by many presidential candidates can be misleading. These statements convey the message that substantial resources can be saved through prevention. Although some preventive measures do save money, the vast majority reviewed in the health economics literature do not. Careful analysis of the costs and benefits of specific interventions, rather than broad generalizations, is critical. Such analysis could identify not only cost-saving preventive measures but also preventive measures that deliver substantial health benefits relative to their net costs; this analysis could also identify treatments that are cost-saving or highly efficient (i.e., cost-effective)."
A visual always helps too:
